Green Power Purchasers On the Rise

An increasing number of U.S. electric utilities are selling greater amounts of green power to their customers, and US EPA Green Power Partners are making good on their commitment to purchase renewables, racheting up clean energy use in the U.S.

On the utility side, according to DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analysis, almost 600 utilities in 34 states now offer green power to customers as a voluntary option at a premium price. Notably, several large utilities have lowered premiums on green power making it increasingly price competitive with conventional energy sources.

In its annual ranking of utility green power programs, Austin Energy (Texas) ranked first for the third consecutive year, followed by Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp, Sacramento (Calif.) Municipal Utility District, and Xcel Energy. In 2004, sales of renewable energy through utility green power programs reached 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Partners in the US EPA’s Green Power Partnership, have pledged to switch to green power for a portion of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition. The Green Power Partnership currently includes more than 550 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations and universities.

The U.S. 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. EPA and the World Bank rank third and fourth on the list.

The complete list of Top 25 EPA Green Power Partners is as follows, listed in order of purchase size:

1. U.S. Air Force
2. Johnson & Johnson
3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4. The World Bank
5. U.S. General Services Administration / Region 2
6. Whole Foods Market
7. City of San Diego, Calif.
8. New Jersey Consolidated Energy Savings Program
9. WhiteWave Foods
10. Austin (Texas) Independent School District
11. Staples
12. University of Pennsylvania
13. Montgomery County, Md.
14. Advanced Micro Devices / Austin, Texas Facilities
15. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
16. FedEx Kinko’s
17. East Bay Municipal Utility District/Main Wastewater Plant
18. BMW Manufacturing Co. / Greer, S.C. Facilities
19. City of Santa Monica, Calif.
20. U.S. Navy / Region South
21. Harvard University
22. Round Rock (Texas) Independent School District
23. City of Portland, Ore.
24. Pennsylvania State University
25. U.S. Department of Energy/Forrestal & Germantown Facilities

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[sorry this link is no longer available]Top Ten Utility Green Power Programs