Amazon backs 180 MW of solar in Virginia

Nov 18, 2016 10:41 CET by Plamena Tisheva

November 18 – Amazon Web Services Inc (AWS), the cloud computing business of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), on Thursday announced its latest renewable energy projects, five solar farms totalling 180 MW in Virginia.

The projects include four sites of 20 MW and one of 100 MW. Amazon worked with developers Virginia Solar and Community Energy Solar, which will sell the projects to Dominion Resources Inc (NYSE:D). Dominion will develop the projects for AWS, which will buy the electricity under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). The energy company will own and operate the facilities.

AWS said it has so far enabled 10 renewable energy projects in the US that will provide a total of 2.6 million MWh a year to the grid powering its data centres in Ohio and Virginia. It already has one existing project in Virginia, a 80-MW solar farm that has started generation.

“We continue to ramp our sustainability efforts in areas where availability of renewable energy sources is low or proposed projects are stalled, and where the energy contribution goes onto the same electric grid that powers AWS data centers,” Peter DeSantis, AWS vice president, infrastructure, said. He added the company was well positioned to meet its latest goal of 50% renewable energy powering the AWS global infrastructure by the end of 2017. AWS has a long-term goal of 100% renewable energy.

The five new solar farms are expected to come online in late 2017, Dominion said. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts have been signed with Strata Solar for the four 20-MW projects and with Signal Energy for the 100-MW development.

Share this story

Recommends: