The online retailer will initially mount large-scale rooftop solar systems on 10 of its centres of the next 18 months. Battery systems will also be installed to help Amazon participate in frequency control and load management programmes on the grid.

In addition, Amazon has agreed a deal for its UK buildings to be powered by 100% renewable electricity. The deal is backed by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin certificates (REGOs), meaning that the energy bought will have been generated from renewable sources.

“As our fulfilment network continues to expand, we want to help generate more renewable energy at both existing and new facilities around the world in partnership with community and business leaders,” said Stefano Perego, operations director for Amazon UK.

“We are putting our scale and inventive culture to work on sustainability, which is good for the environment, our business, our customers, and the communities in which we operate. By diversifying our energy portfolio, we can keep business costs low and pass along further savings to customers.”

Green GB Week

The pledges have been made as part of the Government’s Green GB Week – a week-long series of content and events that showcases the benefits clean growth will bring to all parts of society. Amazon joins the likes of Barratt DevelopmentsDHL Global ForwardingEDF Energy and KPMG in making new business sustainability commitments –  all of which have been posted on edie’s Mission Possible Pledge Wall.

Commenting on Amazon’s announcement, Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: “I’m delighted to see how many more businesses and organisations such as Amazon are seizing this multi-billion-pound opportunity to energize their communities to tackle the very serious threat of climate change.”

The news is part of Amazon’s commitment to deploy solar systems on 50 customer fulfilment centres globally by 2020.

Recent renewables projects from Amazon includes the development of a 150MW wind farm in Benton County, Indiana, a 208MW wind farm in North Carolina, which was the first utility-scale wind farm in the state, and the firm’s largest wind farm in Texas, which looks set to generate 1,000,000 megawatt hours when it goes live.

George Ogleby

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