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Amazon recently announced that it has achieved 100% renewable energy seven years ahead of schedule, which is good news for Virginia where the company owns multiple data centers. However, the claim comes with some asterisks, indicating that Amazon’s energy appetite in Virginia exceeds the output of all its solar farms in the state. This means that the company is not truly matching its energy demand with renewable sources on a 24/7 basis.

While Amazon has invested in solar farms in Virginia and other PJM states, the amount of renewable energy produced is still not enough to meet its energy demand, which is estimated to be around 2,700 MW in Virginia alone. Without energy storage to provide continuous renewable energy, Amazon’s data centers continue to rely on fossil fuels, increasing pollution and costs for the rest of the state.

Unlike some other tech companies like Google, Amazon has not made the effort to combine renewable energy with storage to achieve true carbon neutrality. This has led to a 34% increase in the company’s carbon footprint since announcing its Climate Pledge in 2019. The Science Based Targets initiative, along with Amazon employees, have criticized the company for failing to set credible targets for reducing carbon emissions.

As Virginia aims to address the climate challenge, it is crucial to hold corporations like Amazon accountable for their sustainability claims. Data centers that do not rely solely on zero-carbon sources are not contributing to the solution but rather exacerbating the problem. Amazon’s data centers in Virginia are currently falling short in meeting the state’s climate goals.

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