Amazon Begins Brownfields Project

8 February, 2024

Very few companies have made the impact nor enjoyed the success as Amazon has. From it’s humble beginnings as an online book seller back thirty years ago to the behemoth it is today, impacting so many parts of our lives.

Due to the nature of its current business model, power has become its life blood. Keeping true to it’s desire to stay ‘green’, Amazon continues to push the limit of what’s possible and what has less impact. Hence, it’s desire to invest in ‘clean energy’ to push toward a decarbonized future with it – zero goals. Amazon has begun work to convert the site of a former coal mine (Arch Coal Mine) in Garret County, Maryland, into a 300,000-panel solar farm.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S., which is an emerging opportunity for solar energy projects. Brownfields can include abandoned factories, mines, or landfills.  These brownfields are often located near power lines and public roads, making it easier to connect a project to the grid and turn unused land into an economic opportunity for local communities.

Read the Full Article at Utility Dive

Read an Update on the Solar Farm Progress and Amazon’s Renewable Energy Committments

Image via Amazon – The Backbone Solar Farm will look similar to one built over a coal mine in Pennsylvania.