April 27, 2005—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its quarterly update of green power purchasers. The list includes a diverse set of companies and organizations that have voluntarily bought the most renewable energy and are part of EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Together, the top 25 are purchasing more than 1.6 million MWh (megawatt hours) of green power annually—enough energy to run more than 150,000 homes a year, says EPA.
The US Air Force leads the green power list, purchasing more than 321,000 MWh annually for Air Force bases across the country. Second on the list, Johnson & Johnson, bought more than 241,000 MWh of renewable energy in 2004.
The complete list of Top 25 EPA Green Power Partners is as follows, listed in order of purchase size: US Air Force, Johnson & Johnson, US Environmental Protection Agency, The World Bank, US General Services Administration (GSA) / Region 2, Whole Foods Market, City of San Diego, CA, New Jersey Consolidated Energy Savings Program, WhiteWave Foods, Austin (TX) Independent School District, Staples, University of Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, MD, Advanced Micro Devices / Austin, Texas Facilities, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, FedEx Kinko’s, East Bay Municipal Utility District/Main Wastewater Plant, BMW Manufacturing Co. / Greer, SC Facilities, City of Santa Monica, CA, US Navy / Region South, Harvard University, Round Rock (TX) Independent School District, City of Portland, OR, Pennsylvania State University, and US Department of Energy / Forrestal & Germantown Facilities.
EPA defines green power as electricity from environmentally preferable renewable resources such as solar, wind, or geothermal power. Green power currently accounts for about two percent of America’s electricity supply, says EPA, but voluntary purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating renewable energy development.
The Green Power Partnership is an EPA voluntary program working to standardize green power procurement as part of best practice environmental management. Partners in the program pledge to switch to green power for a portion of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition. For more information, see the Web site.
