WASHINGTON -- Today, the E.P.A. (EPA)'s Green Power Partnership released an updated list of the Top 100 organizations that are choosing to use electricity from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar power.
"By using green power, these companies and organizations are showing that business can flourish while taking meaningful steps to reduce carbon pollution," said Gina McCarthy, E.P.A. Administrator. "Making cleaner choices to power our communities, institutions and businesses reduces the pollution that contributes to climate change, protects America's health and environment, and supports continued growth in the green power sector."
Intel Corporation continues its seven-year run as the nation's biggest voluntary user of green power, meeting 100 percent of its electricity load with renewable resources. Other technology companies in the top ten include Microsoft Corporation, Google Inc., and Apple Incorporated Apple increased its yearly green power use by nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), moving from No. eleven to No. eight on the list. In total, the combined green power usage of these Top 100 Partners amounts to nearly 24 billion kWh annually, which represents close to 83 percent of the green power commitments made by all E.P.A. Green Power Partners. The list is calculated based on yearly green power usage (in kilowatt-hours) by Green Power Partners.
The top ten partners appearing on the Top 100 list include:
1. Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.)
2. Kohl's Department Stores (Menomonee Falls, Wis.)
3. Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.)
4. Whole Foods Market (Austin, Texas)
5. Google Incorporated (Mountain View, Calif.)
6. Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporated (Bentonville, Ark.)
7. Staples (Framingham, Mass.)
8. Apple Incorporated (Cupertino, Calif.)
9. City of Houston, Texas
10. D.O.E. (Washington, D.C.)
In addition, for the 8th year in a row, E.P.A. is encouraging increased green power use among higher education institutions through the College and University Green Power Challenge. Out of the 33 competing conferences, the Big ten is this year's conference champion, collectively using in excess of 309 million kWh of green power annually and avoiding carbon pollution equal to that produced by the electricity use of in excess of 30,000 American homes. The University of Pennsylvania continues to be the top individual school in the challenge for the 7th year in a row, purchasing in excess of 200 million kWh of wind power annually - more green power than any of the 78 other competing schools.
E.P.A. also recently announced that in support of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the Green Power Partnership is launching the On-site Renewables Challenge, with a goal to double the use of on-site green power by partners by the end of the decade. As part of the Challenge, E.P.A. invites partners to increase the amount of energy they produce and use from on-site renewables by the end of the decade.
Green power is a subset of renewable energy and represents the renewable energy resources and technologies that provide the highest environmental benefit. E.P.A. defines green power as electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources.
As part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership, in excess of 1,200 organizations are purchasing in excess of 28 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, avoiding carbon pollution equal to that created by the electricity use of in excess of 2.4 million American homes. The partnership provides quarterly updated lists of partners using green power in the following categories: retail, technology and telecommunications, local government, and K-12 schools, among others.
More on the Top 100 list and other Top rankings:
www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists
More on the 2013-14 E.P.A. College & University Green Power Challenge conference champions:
www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/cu_challenge.htm
More on the On-site Renewables Challenge:
www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/onsite_challenge.htm
More on EPA's Green Power Partnership:
www.epa.gov/greenpower
