U.S. Air Force Heads List Of Green Power Buyers
The U.S. Air Force tops the list of green power buyers in the United States, according to a list of the top 25 released this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Air Force has purchased more than 321,000 megawatt hours annually for bases across the country.
Green power is electricity from renewable resources such as solar, wind, or geothermal power. Green power accounts for about two percent of Americas electricity supply, but purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating development of these renewable technologies.
The top 25 green power purchasers are buying enough energy to run more than 150,000 homes a year–more than 1.6 million megawatt hours of green power annually, EPA figures show.
Second on the list, Johnson & Johnson, bought more than 241,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy in 2004.
The EPA and the World Bank rank third and fourth on the list.
Fifth is the U.S. General Services Administration, followed by Whole Foods Market in sixth place, the City of San Diego, California in seventh, the New Jersey Consolidated Energy Savings Program in eighth place, WhiteWave Foods, and the Austin, Texas Independent School District round out the top 10.
Companies in the top 25 include Staples, FedEx Kinko’s, BMW Manufacturing, and Advanced Micro Devices.
Universities rank too including University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State, and Harvard.
Governments in the top 25 include the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Montgomery County, Maryland; the City of Santa Monica, California; and the City of Portland, Oregon.
The U.S. Navy, Region South ranks in the top 25, as does the U.S. Department of Energy’s Forrestal and Germantown facilities, and the East Bay Municipal Utility District Main Wastewater Plant.
The ranking is the work of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, a 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.
The Green Power Partnership currently includes more than 550 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations and universities.
Provided by the Environmental News Service.