EPA updates lists of top green power purchasers

November 3, 2008—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a quarterly update October 27 of its rankings of green power purchasers under the EPA Green Power Partnership. The quarterly lists, highlighted below, rank the leading purchasers of green power as of April 8 in several categories. With the current update, EPA expanded its national list from the Top 25 to the Top 50, and enlarged its list for retail companies from the Top 10 to the Top 20.

Dell, Inc. and the City of Chicago, Illinois, have become major purchasers of electricity from renewable energy sources. Dell jumped from 25th place to 4th place with purchases that actually exceed Dell’s electricity use by about 58%, helping to offset greenhouse gas emissions from other forms of energy use within the company. The City of Chicago, which had not previously appeared on the EPA’s lists, is now buying enough green power to meet 20% of its electricity needs, placing it 16th on the national Top 50 list and 3rd on the Top 20 list of local governments.

The first five of the National Top 50 Green Power Partners are:

1. Intel Corporation (1,302,040,000 kWh/year; 47% of total electricity use);
2. PepsiCo (1,144,773,154; 100%);
3. US Air Force (899,143,000; 9%);
4. Dell, Inc. (553,708,000; 158%); and
5. Wells Fargo & Company (550,000,000; 42%).

The first five of the Fortune 500 Challenge Green Power Partners are:

1. Intel Corporation (1,302,040,000 kWh/year; 47% of total electricity use);
2. PepsiCo (1,144,773,154; 100%);
3. Dell, Inc. (553,708,000; 158%);
4. Wells Fargo & Company (550,000,000; 42%); and
5. Whole Foods Market (526,995,000; 100%).

EPA’s 100% Green Power Purchasers list represents all of the Green Power Partner organizations that are buying green power to meet 100% of their US organization-wide electricity use. The top purchasers include:

1. PepsiCo (1,144,773,154 kWh/year);
2. Dell, Inc. (553,708,000; 158%);
3. Whole Foods Market (526,995,000);
4. The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (470,216,838); and
5. US Environmental Protection Agency (285,000,000).

The Top 20 Retail list represents the largest purchasers among retail partners within the Green Power Partnership. The first five include:

1. Whole Foods Market (526,995,000 kWh/year; 100% of total electricity use);
2. Kohl’s Department Stores (236,017,000; 20%);
3. Starbucks (205,000,000; 22%);
4. Staples (127,322,000; 21%); and
5. Lowes (101,000,000; 2%).

For the quarterly federal and local government and the college and university lists, see also “Green power leaders in government ranked by EPA” and “Penn still #1 among college green power purchasers” on FMLink.