Amazon Launches Its 10-Megawatt Solar Plant In South Africa
Amazon Launches Its 10-Megawatt Solar Plant In South Africa. Multinational technology company Amazon has announced that its 10 Megawatt solar plant has been launched in Northern Cape, South Africa. Amazon’s solar project in South Africa supplies clean, renewable power to AWS data centers and supports economic opportunities for local women and businesses.
The plant is expected to generate up to 28,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy per year, which equals the annual electricity consumption of over 8,000 average South African homes. The solar plant consists of over 24,000 bifacial solar panels—capturing sunlight on both sides—covering an area of 20 hectares in the Northern Cape. The solar panels track the sun throughout the day, absorbing solar energy from the sky and reflected light from the ground. The design will result in avoiding an estimated 25,000 tons of carbon emissions annually, the equivalent of removing 5,400 cars from the road in South Africa.
“Amazon is committed to working with governments and utility suppliers around the world to help bring more renewable energy projects online,” said Nat Sahlstrom, director of energy at Amazon Web Services in a statement. “We’re honored to work with the Department of Minerals and Energy, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, and Eskom to help deliver a new model for renewable energy generation in South Africa.”
The project created 167 jobs in local communities during construction and will sustain permanent jobs for its lifetime to support the electrical maintenance, operation, and security. The project also reduced waste by donating unused materials from construction, including pallets and electrical cable drums, to local furniture businesses and special skills schools to support small and medium-sized businesses.
Amazon said that it is committed to building a sustainable business for customers and the planet, and it’s why it co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, becoming the first signatory and setting a goal to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early by reaching net-zero carbon by 2040. This project brings Amazon closer to powering its global operations with 100% renewable energy, a commitment Amazon is on path to reach by 2025—five years before the original 2030 goal.
