WASHINGTON, DC — For a third year, Intel Corporation heads the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of top green power purchasers in the U.S. with Kohl's Department Stores and PepsiCo holding second and third place, respectively.
The rankings also hold for the EPA's list of top green power purchasers in the Fortune 500.
The EPA released its first report of the year today on the companies, schools, colleges and government agencies that purchase or generate the greatest amount of renewable energy in the country and participate in the Green Power Partnership program.
In its reports, which are issued quarterly, the EPA lists top participants in each category. The agency also recognizes the top participants among firms and organizations that purchase, generate or offset 100 percent of the energy they use with green power (Kohl's, PepsiCo and Whole Foods Market claim the top three spots in that category).
The EPA's January report looks at green power purchases across the previous year.
In 2009, the top 10 Green Power Partners in the U.S. increased their commitments by about 1.5 billion kilowatt hours and brought their purchases to a total of more than 7.3 billion kWh annually.
In the No. 1 spot for the top 10, top 50 and top Fortune 500 Green Power Partners lists, Intel purchased more than 1.4 billion kWh in 2009, up from 1.3 billion kWh the previous year, according to the EPA.
Three hundred new companies and other organizations joined the partnership program last year, bringing the total to 1,200. Together they are buying 18 billion kWh a year, which the agency estimates as being equivalent to the CO2 emissions from electricity use by more than 1.6 million homes.
The top 10 participants in the program based on their purchases and commitments in 2009 are:
The EPA's lists of current and past top partners are available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm
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