To speed up its shift to clean energy throughout its organization, Amazon Web Services (AWS) formally signed an agreement with AES Corporate, a leading lithium-ion-centric power storage firm. The cloud services titan hopes to use renewable energy to power its global operations by 2025.
AWS and AES inked two power purchase agreements (PPAs). The first involved the delivery of 450MW of solar power to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), while the second involved the delivery of an additional 225MW from one of AES’ four-hour battery energy storage projects.
According to a statement from AES, these agreements will make it possible for Amazon’s cloud services arm to make a wholesale shift to renewable power across the board a good five years earlier than its original 2030 target.
A Smart Approach to Sustainable Power
According to AES president and CEO Andrés Gluski, the partnership will show the public how customized power solutions, especially those involving renewable and sustainable power sources, can go a long way in helping companies decrease their carbon footprint. In addition, innovations within the power sector, such as developing more resilient energy storage methods and off-grid power infrastructure, can further help these businesses decarbonize their operations and decrease the strain on local power grids.
To meet its goals under the AWS PPAs, AES is teaming up with its subsidiary Fluence Energy. On the other hand, Fluence Energy will work with AWS to develop a set of market applications that other companies can use by making the shift to green power.
Fluence Energy was established by AES in partnership with Siemens back in 2018.
AES will also be using products from Amazon’s roster of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing solutions to augment its own tools’ capabilities, including the Fluence IQ Digital Platform.
According to AWS general manager for energy and utilities Howard Gefen, the partnership with AES is a key milestone on his company’s path towards fulfilling its Climate Pledge commitment to be completely carbon-free by 2040 and reliant on renewable energy in all its operations by 2025.
Fluence Energy chief digital officer Seyed Madaeni likewise expressed that he and his company looked forward to working with AWS. Madaeni said the agreements are instrumental in transforming the global business scene from one primarily powered by fossil fuels to one reliant on renewable energy.
