Amazon is continuing to expand its European arm of Amazon Web Services — one of the world's largest cloud computing services, which requires significant energy for operation. The e-commerce giant has committed to scaling AWS operations sustainably, being named the top corporate purchaser of renewable energy in Europe as of early February, according to one of its latest sustainability news releases.
Over the past few years, Amazon has invested in many renewable energy projects throughout the European region to support AWS's European operations.
A 2023 Amazon Europe news release confirmed that Amazon executed 39 renewable energy projects in Europe in 2022, creating over 3,900 jobs for locals. Its latest February news release reflected on its 2024 sustainability investments in Europe, which included 46 new wind and solar projects across Spain, Greece, Finland, Portugal, the UK, France, Czechia, and Ireland, according to Technology Magazine.
This brings its European portfolio to over 230 projects, with a total output of about nine gigawatts of clean energy, or enough energy to power 6.7 million European homes annually, per its February news release.
"Increasing the amount of renewable energy on Europe's electricity grids is the fastest and cheapest way to help Europe's economy decarbonise at scale and fight against climate change," said Lindsay McQuade, director of energy for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Amazon, per Technology Magazine.
Amazon's continued investment in renewable energy is representative of the world's shift toward a cleaner economy.
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The clean energy sector is growing exponentially, providing individual investors, as well as countries, with major opportunities to invest in and shape the future of the world's energy landscape. This is also a chance to back sustainability-focused businesses with long-term growth.
Projects, such as Amazon's latest renewable energy commitments in Europe, are also creating jobs for locals, supporting global economies while proving that it is possible to have economic prosperity and a healthy planet simultaneously.
Clean, renewable energy could help slow the planet's rising temperatures as we find new and innovative solutions to reduce our environmental impact, securing a safe, healthy, and cool planet for generations to come.
"When it comes to addressing climate change, speed and location matter. From collaborating on new energy policies, to accelerating renewables in underserved regions, Amazon is working to help decarbonise grids around the world as quickly as possible," Amazon's chief sustainability officer, Kara Hurst, said, per Technology Magazine.
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