The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) has released its 2019 Deal Tracker which highlights the amount of clean energy capacity purchased by its members.
According to the report, up to 1,546 GW of renewable energy capacity was procured in 2019 owing to an increase in the demand for renewables by companies to achieve energy sustainability goals.
Driven by the desire to manage volatility in energy costs and reduce the climate impact of their energy consumption, large clean energy buyers, many of which are members of REBA, also have a strong belief that a zero-carbon energy future is in the best interest of their communities, stakeholders and shareholders.
The top ten clean energy buyers are:
| 2019 top US large clean energy buyers | ||
| Ranking | Company | Volume (Gigawatts) |
| 1 | 1.546 | |
| 2 | 1.107 | |
| 3 | AT&T | .960 |
| 4 | Microsoft | .624 |
| 5 | T-Mobile | .581 |
| 6 | Walmart | .541 |
| 7 | Amazon | .487 |
| 8 | Ball Corporation | .388 |
| 9 | McDonald’s | .380 |
| 10 | Honda | .320 |
REBA has set a goal to achieve 60GW of renewable energy by 2025.
Facebook’s Altavista Solar project in Virginia will generate approximately 200 jobs during construction and more than $1.8 million in tax revenue over the 35-year lifetime of the project.
AT&T, 2019’s largest non-tech energy buyer, will create 250 jobs and produce enough energy to power about 123,000 average homes through the construction of its Frontier Wind Power II in Oklahoma.
Miranda Ballentine, the CEO of REBA, said: “Well over half of all energy consumption comes from the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, so it is increasingly important that large energy buyers are identifying opportunities to reduce emissions.
“The leaders on our list understand that as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) planning, integrating renewable energy is one of the most significant ways to work toward a zero-carbon future while contributing to local economies.”