Months after Amazon shareholders turned down a plea by employees to do more about climate change, the company announced two new renewable energy projects. Today, Amazon shared plans for a wind farm in Ireland and a solar farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. When completed sometime in 2020, these projects are expected to generate a combined 168,000 MWh of clean energy annually, helping Amazon reach its goal to power 100 percent of its operations with renewable power.
These wind and solar farms represent Amazon's 65th and 66th renewable energy projects. According to the company, its solar projects in the US have offset the CO2 equivalent of more than 200 million miles of truck deliveries. The company says its renewable energy projects are expected to generate 1,342 MW of renewable capacity globally.
But many say Amazon isn't doing enough. The petition to shareholders, signed by more than 8,000 employees, noted that the goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy doesn't have a target deadline. And the company's Shipment Zero initiative only attempts to reach net zero emissions, not to reduce the carbon emissions generated by Amazon's massive fleet of delivery vehicles. Even with projects like these wind and solar farms in the pipeline, employees plan to continue petitioning for a comprehensive climate-change plan.