Here’s the top 10 clean energy buyers from 2021 (Amazon tops list for second straight year)

By Chris Crowell February 17, 2022

Amazon tops the list of clean energy buyers for the second straight year, with 2.85 GW of announced projects, according to the Clean Energy Buyers Association‘s annual Deal Tracker Top 10 list. Overall, energy customers continued to demonstrate their considerable influence on the energy market with more than 100 projects announced totaling 11.06 GW of contracted capacity in 2021.

“CEBA recently set an ambitious aspiration to achieve a 90% carbon-free U.S. electricity system by 2030 and a global community of energy customers driving clean energy. Energy customers have demonstrated a dedicated commitment to decarbonization over the last decade,” said CEBA CEO Miranda Ballentine. “The overall impact of companies that make up the 2021 Deal Tracker Top 10 showcases that our vision for customer-driven clean energy for is truly possible, and beyond that, within reach if we continue to advance market and policy solutions together.”

2021 CEBA Deal Tracker Top 10

Ranking	Company	Volume (Gigawatts)
1	Amazon	2.85
2	Meta	1.82
3	Verizon	1.02
4	Google	.600
5	Microsoft	.550
6	Plug Power*	.345
7	Pfizer*	.310
8	Target	.292
9	PepsiCo	.257
10	McDonald’s	.230

As the strategies used to transact in the energy market have evolved to reflect increasingly ambitious climate action goals, so too has the profile of what was once considered a typical energy customer company. The CEBA Deal Tracker Top 10 showcases that a variety of industries now play a critical role in decarbonization of the energy system and have established increasing bold climate action goals, including telecommunications services, consumer staples, and industrials.

“Amazon is on an accelerated path toward powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of our original 2030 target,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon.

The energy customer mindset is shifting to focus on carbon-reduction emissions, community engagement and environmental impacts, all taken together. For example, Microsoft’s new vision integrates a commitment to invest clean energy generated revenue toward community impact initiatives. McDonald’s strategy integrates job creation in local communities while harnessing solar and wind energy through virtual power purchase agreements.

“We are proud of our renewable energy partnerships because they represent progress toward McDonald’s net zero climate ambition, while also creating jobs and driving local impact. These investments are another meaningful way McDonald’s is working toward a more sustainable future,” said Jenny McColloch, McDonald’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

The 2021 Deal Tracker Top 10 demonstrates the scale and influence of energy customers that have contracted nearly 47 gigawatts of clean energy – about 20% of all wind and solar capacity in the U.S. – over the last decade.

The CEBA Deal Tracker is a unique tracking mechanism that focuses on U.S.-based utility-scale corporate procurement. The annual CEBA Deal Tracker Top 10 list features the top companies, or energy customers, leading renewable energy procurement. You can download the full CEBA Deal Tracker here.