Amazon Web Services (AWS) said it has begun transitioning to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to power backup generators at its data centers in Europe, with sites in Ireland and Sweden among the first to make the switch. Backup generators are used at data center sites to provide backup power in the very rare instances when the main source of power is interrupted.
AWS said it aims to use HVO at all its data center sites across Europe. For this to happen there has to be an accessible, steady, and sustainable supply of HVO. AWS is helping develop a global supply chain, working with local organizations like Certa in Ireland, and is investing in the procurement of HVO that only comes from renewable sources, with raw materials that are traceable to their origins and not derived from sources that would impact highly biodiverse areas.
The move is a part of Amazon’s commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040 – ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement – and as outlined in The Climate Pledge, which we co-founded in 2019. The Pledge now has over 400 signatories, including Best Buy, IBM, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Siemens, Unilever, Verizon, and Visa. As part of this Pledge, Amazon is on a path to powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of our initial 2030 target. Amazon is the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy a position we’ve held since 2020 according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance — and we now have 401 projects globally, including 164 wind farms and solar farms, and 237 rooftop solar projects on Amazon facilities.
Amazon is investing in alternative fuel options to replace diesel and other fossil fuels to further decarbonize our operations. For example, we have signed an agreement with Plug Power to supply green hydrogen for our transportation and building operations, starting in 2025. We also continue to transform our transportation network, including electrifying our delivery fleet; Amazon currently has thousands of electric delivery vehicles from Rivian in more than 100 cities and regions in the U.S., thousands of electric vans delivering packages to customers in Europe, and several electric vehicle partnerships in APAC.