And the Green Power Leadership Award Goes To…

wind turbine

by | Oct 18, 2016

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wind turbineIntel, SC Johnson, Cisco Systems and Apple are among the leading renewable energy users in the US, according to the EPA, which recognized these and a dozen other companies with Green Power Leadership Awards.

The agency says the winners in each of the five categories are furthering the business case for clean energy use.

“Green power is becoming more affordable and mainstream because of leaders like the Green Power Leadership Award winners,” said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, in a statement.

The Excellence in Green Power Use Award winners are:

  • Biogen, which procured all of its US electricity from renewable sources in 2015 and the previous year achieved carbon neutrality across its entire value chain.
  • BNY Mellon met all of its annual electricity demand with green power in 2015 and became carbon neutral for its emissions that year.
  • Forest County Potawatomi Community used 100 percent renewable energy in 2015 and installed a portfolio of solar photovoltaic systems at 15 tribal facilities.
  • Goldman Sachs used green power for 100 percent of its US operations and achieved carbon neutrality in 2015 for its emissions.
  • Government of the District of Columbia finalized a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to provide renewable electricity from a wind farm in Pennsylvania and executed two solar PPAs on 50 district government sites.
  • Intel purchased 100 percent green power for its domestic operations and installed more than 60 on-site renewable energy projects to directly supply facility power needs.
  • SC Johnson procured 44 percent of its US electricity from renewable sources and owns and operates its own landfill gas system and wind turbines, which generated 16 and 7.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, respectively, in 2015.

The Green Power Partner of the Year Award winners are:

  • Cisco Systems more than doubled its green power use in 2015, representing 97 percent of its total US consumption and encouraged its vendors, business partners, and supply chain to reduce emissions.
  • Jackson Family Wines purchased 100 percent green power for the company’s annual electricity use and increased green power use to 35 percent for winemaking operations by installing on-site solar across nine wineries.
  • University at Buffalo (UB), the State University of New York procured more than 212 million kilowatt-hours of wind-sourced renewable energy, making it one of the largest purchasers of green power of any New York State agency and the largest college and university purchaser in the nation. UB also has on-site solar installations on its campus.

The Sustained Excellence in Green Power Award winners are:

  • Apple used 100 percent renewable energy for its entire US operations and is the second largest user of on-site renewables in EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Apple’s renewable energy generation projects include solar PV in North Carolina, Nevada and Arizona, micro-hydro facilities in Oregon, and industry-leading partnerships with utilities and providers of grid-purchased green power.
  • Kohl’s Department Stores procured 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours of green power in 2015 through more than 60 long-term solar PPAs, Kohl’s-owned solar systems that generate green power on-site, and by purchasing renewable energy certificates. Kohl’s also installed three new solar trees at its Innovation Center and achieved net-zero emissions for its Scope 2 electricity use through 2015.

The Direct Project Engagement Award winners are:

  • General Motors / GM Orion Assembly Plant generated more than half of the facility’s total electricity usage from its on-site landfill gas system. Gas that would have been flared at a nearby landfill is now redirected and piped to the facility to create electricity for building vehicles, notably the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
  • Google signed 15 long-term PPAs with wind and solar projects totaling more than 2,000 megawatts of installed capacity, making Google one of the largest non-utility purchasers of renewable energy in the country, as of December 2015. Google also pilots renewable energy technologies on its campuses.
  • HARBEC integrated on-site wind generation with a combined heat and power plant into a microgrid that uses renewable energy; the company’s two wind turbines provide approximately 60 percent of the company’s electrical power.

In addition to using large amounts of renewable energy, many of these companies have also been vocal supporters of policy that encourages clean power. Apple and Google were among the companies that filed briefs in support of the Clean Power Plan. And Intel was one of the major firms to call for a strong climate deal in advance of the COP21 Paris climate talks in December.

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