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WASHINGTON, DC — In the past three months, Staples more than doubled its renewable power purchases as Intel neared 100 percent renewable electricity.
The latest list of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top Green Power Partnership organizations shows a few other shakeups since October, when the EPA handed out Green Power Leadership Awards.
Intel retains its number-one spot on the list, which ranks the top 50 companies and organizations based on how much renewable-based electricity they purchase. The EPA works with more than 1,300 partners through the program.
By increasing its renewable purchases by 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), Intel now gets 88 percent of its power from renewables. In October it was at 51 percent.
Kohl's retained its second-place position by upping its purchases by 50 million kWh, keeping its purchases at 100 percent of its electricity use.
Intel and Kohl's, with their current purchases of 2.5 billion kWh and 1.4 billion kWh, are still the only organizations to buy more than 1 billion kWh or renewable energy annually.
Much of the rest of the top 10 stayed the same as October, save for one notable exception, Staples, which jumped from number 28 to 8 by more than doubling its renewable energy purchases, from 22 percent to 52 percent of its power use.
Dell, meanwhile, dropped from number 7 to 35, with green power purchases now accounting for 28 percent of its power as opposed to the 129 percent it was covering last year.
Best Buy, Drexel University and Suffolk County, N.Y., join the top-50 list for the first time, and those dropped off of the list are Wells Fargo & Company, U.S. General Services Administration/Region 2 and Austin, Texas.
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Only part of the story is
Only part of the story is told in this article. What impact are these companies really making by purchasing green power? Are these companies consuming less power at the same time? Admittedly the article points to great leadership by many companies. I am especially proud of Kohl's department stores a local company based in Wisconsin.
It would be great to know how these companies accomplished their goals. A case study on each that details the how behind the result would be a great tool for others to follow. Case studies would also reveal whether these companies bundled these green energy purchases with other improvements (LEED, waste reduction, water reduction, energy efficiencies, and new construction).
Energy consumption changes are often very expensive and have the potential to add cost to the goods and services sold to customers. Case studies would underscore that you can bridge the gap between economics and environmental responsibility. The whole story needs to be told.
Thank you for covering the
Thank you for covering the EPA Green Power Program. I’m thrilled to see growing participation from corporations, cities, and institutions of higher education coupled increasingly large renewable energy commitments from organizations already involved.
While federal action on climate change continues wallow, this EPA program is successfully reducing carbon emissions and increasing investment into domestic clean energy.
However, the opt-in nature of this program limits the breadth of its influence. In conjunction with the Green Power Partnership, a 25% by 2025 national RES would allow the United States to fully realize the economic and environmental benefits of additional renewable energy usage.
Companies like Intel and Kohl
Companies like Intel and Kohl are demonstrating a spectacular commitment to environmental and social responsibility by making these kinds of very large Green Power purchases. And in addition to Green Power purchases, Intel has completed nine solar electric installations in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Israel, collectively generating more than 3.8 million kilowatt hours per year of solar energy. The top 50 purchasers listed by the EPA are truly leading the way in supporting with their dollars, the transition to clean, renewable energy. Commitments like this enable green power providers to develop new, more efficient technologies which then bring down the price of renewable energy for all. I cannot applaud these companies enough for their commitment to clean energy. I hope they don't let up.