Amazon’s new 10-megawatt solar plant is already operational in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the country’s biggest province. The project is planned to create up to 28,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy each year, which is enough to power around 8,000 ordinary South African households for an entire year, Amazon announced.
The solar facility in the Northern Cape is made up of over 24,000 bifacial solar panels that capture sunlight from both sides and spans an area of 20 hectares. Throughout the day, the solar panels track the sun, capturing solar energy from the sky as well as reflected light from the ground. The design will save an estimated 25,000 tons of carbon emissions each year, which is the equivalent of eliminating 5,400 automobiles off South Africa’s roads.
“Amazon is dedicated to collaborating with governments and utility suppliers throughout the world to help bring more renewable energy projects online,” said Nat Sahlstrom, Amazon Web Services’ director of energy. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Department of Minerals and Energy, the South African National Energy Regulator, and Eskom to develop a new paradigm for renewable energy generation in South Africa.”
The Northern Cape solar project also helps to alter the region’s economy. The solar plant, which contributes to South Africa’s 2030 renewable energy targets, is majority-owned by black women and run by a South African corporation.
Al least 167 employments were generated in local communities during construction, and permanent jobs will be established for the duration of the project to support electrical maintenance, operation, and security. The initiative also decreased waste by providing excess building supplies, such as pallets and electrical wire drums, to local furniture stores and special skills schools, which aided small and medium-sized enterprises.
Amazon was the world’s largest corporate consumer of renewable energy in 2020, with the business, using 65 percent renewable energy. Amazon currently has over 270 global renewable energy projects in its portfolio, representing more than 12 gigawatts of renewable capacity worldwide. The company anticipates that once all of these projects are operational, more than 13.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions will be saved each year, which is the equivalent of taking roughly 3 million automobiles off U.S. roads each year.