Amazon commissions a 10 Megawatt solar project in South Africa

Amazon, a multinational technology and e-commerce firm based in the United States, has launched its first solar plant in South Africa to power Amazon Web Service data centres. The plant consists of 24,000 bifacial solar panels occupying 20 hectares in Northern Cape. The solar plant has 28,000 MWh of clean energy production capacity annually and will offset 25,000 tons of carbon emissions per year, in line with the country's 2030 renewable energy goal.

This demonstrates Amazon's commitment to collaborating with governments and utility providers worldwide to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy projects. The project is expected to have a significant multiplier effect on South Africa's economy in terms of job generation and women empowerment. Also, the project benefits the country's small and medium-sized enterprises by distributing unused construction inputs to local furniture manufacturers and special skills schools.

Amazon intends to achieve the Paris Agreement ten years ahead of schedule by achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. The corporation also wants to power its entire operation with renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target. Currently, the corporation is the largest buyer of renewable energy globally, powering 65% of its activities with green energy. Amazon's new venture raises its entire renewable energy portfolio to more than 270 global projects with more than 12 gigawatts of renewable capacity.