Amazon announces its first Michigan solar farm project
Posted By: mlive on November 13, 2023. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Amazon is entering the Michigan solar farming business. Amazon, the world-famous online retailer, has announced its first renewable energy project in Michigan: a new 85-megawatt solar farm to be built in Van Buren County’s Lawrence Township, the company said on Monday, Nov. 13.
The Southwest Michigan solar project will help power Amazon’s local operations, including Amazon fulfilment centers, sorting centers and delivery stations, while also providing new sources of clean power to local communities where the projects are located, the Seattle-based company said in a news release.
“At Amazon, we’re constantly seeking innovative ways to bring more solar and wind projects online, both to power our operations and to bring new sources of clean energy to the communities where our customers live and work,” said Nat Sahlstrom, head of energy, water and sustainability for Amazon Web Services, in a news release.
“These projects are also helping create jobs, support local businesses and boost the local tax base, which are all part of Amazon’s broader commitment to become a more sustainable company,” Sahlstrom said.
The company did not immediately provide the cost of the farm or the number of jobs expected, when asked by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette. The footprint of the farm was not immediately disclosed by the global retailer. The company shared a photograph of a solar farm project it developed in the Maple Hill area in Pennsylvania with 100 megawatts of capacity, which is similar to the power production planned for the 85-megawatt Michigan project, Amazon said.
Amazon has 479 wind and solar projects across the world, the company said. Once operational, those projects are expected to generate more than 71,900 gigawatt-hours of clean energy each year, or enough to power 6.7 million U.S. homes, Amazon said.
Amazon set a new corporate record for the most renewable energy purchased by a company in a single year, and has remained the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy since 2020, the company said, citing Bloomberg New Energy Finance as its source.
Amazon has expanded its renewables portfolio into 26 countries and 21 U.S. states, including new U.S. projects in Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia so far this year, the company said Monday. Amazon expands renewables portfolio into 26 countries and 21 U.S. states, including new Michigan solar farm. The company said, as of the end of 2022, 90% of the electricity Amazon used to power its operations was from renewable energy resources.
For comparison on the amount of energy that will be produced at the new 85-wegawatt station, the currently-closed Palisades nuclear plant was an 800-megawatt power plant, according to reports. A timeline for the Van Buren County project was not available to be disclosed, the company said Monday.
Amazon’s operations in Michigan include 11 fulfillment and sortation centers, 14 delivery stations, and eight Whole Foods Market locations.
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