Amazon to set up 300-Mw hybrid RE project in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka

These projects are expected to generate 1,163,000 megawatt hours of clean energy, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 380,000 average-sized households in New Delhi each year

Amazon India will set up 300 megawatt (Mw) wind-solar hybrid power projects in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The projects would be set up along with Vibrant Energy, a subsidiary of portfolio company of the Macquarie's Green Investment Group (GIG).

In a statement on Thursday, Amazon said, this is considered to be one of the “largest wind-solar hybrid corporate power purchase agreements (PPA) by a technology company in India.”

Once operational these projects are expected to generate 1,163,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 380,000 average-sized households in New Delhi each year, it said.

Along with three solar farms in Rajasthan, Amazon now has five utility-scale renewable energy projects in India, with a cumulative capacity of close to 720MW.

These projects are also Amazon's first wind-solar hybrid projects globally.

Abhinav Singh, Director – Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Global Specialty Fulfilment, Amazon India said, “We are on a path to powering our operations globally with 100% renewable energy by 2025 and have worked with government and industry stakeholders in India to unlock more corporate renewable energy procurement in the country.”

According to McKinsey & Company, renewable hybrid energy systems maximize clean energy use on the grid by combining two technologies with different generation profiles.

“This collaboration between Vibrant and Amazon will encourage the adoption of renewable energy by corporates in India. We expect India to be one of the earliest markets in the world to deliver renewable energy through similar hybrid projects. We are honored to collaborate with Amazon on its path to powering its operations with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025,” said Srinivasan Viswanathan, CEO, Vibrant Energy.

Amazon aims to have net-zero carbon business by 2040, The company said, till ]2021, Amazon reached 85 per cent renewable energy across its business. In Asia, Amazon has invested in 17 utility-scale renewable energy projects with a total capacity of more than 1,600 Mw across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore.