January 30, 2008—Intel Corporation said it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates as part of a multi-faceted approach to reduce its impact on the environment, making Intel the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company said it hoped the record- setting purchase would help stimulate the market for green power, which should lead to additional generating capacity and ultimately, lower costs.
The purchase placed Intel at the top of EPA’s latest Green Power Partners Top 25 list, and also at the No. 1 spot on EPA’s Fortune 500 Green Power Partners list. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership program encourages and recognizes voluntary green power purchases as a way to reduce the impact of conventional electricity use.
“EPA applauds our Fortune 500 partners for protecting our environment by purchasing green power,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, Intel is proving you don’t need to wait for a signal in order to go green.”
Renewable energy certificates, or RECs, are the “currency” of the renewable energy market and are widely recognized as a having credible and tangible environmental benefits. Intel’s REC purchase, which includes a portfolio of wind, solar, small hydro-electric and biomass sources, will be handled by Sterling Planet, a leading national supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions. The purchase will be certified by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-e program, which certifies and verifies green power products.
Intel, a world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. For more information, visit the Intel Web site. For details on EPA and Green Power visit EPA Web site.
