Intel Retains Top Green Power Purchaser Spot

Intel once again tops the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s quarterly ranking of the top 50 organizations purchasing the most renewable electricity. Rounding out the top five are Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Food Markets, Starbucks and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Green Power Partnership’s top purchasers use more than 12 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually. Overall, Green Power Partners are using nearly 18 billion kWh of green power annually.

Intel, the largest single purchaser of green power, uses more than 1.4 billion kWh annually. The semiconductor manufacturer was recently honored with a 2010 EPA Green Power Leadership Award for green power purchasing.

Both Kohl’s and Whole Foods Market received the 2010 EPA Green Power Partner of the Year Awards, and came in as second and third this quarter in purchasing green power.

Reaching the top five for the first time, Starbucks, ranked No. 4, more than doubled its annual green power purchase to more than 573 million kWh of green power, which is enough power to meet 55 percent of the organization’s electricity use. Starbucks is buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from 3Degrees, Nexant, and NextEra Energy Resources.

Ranked at No. 5, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania increased its green power purchase to 500 million kWh of green power annually.

Rounding out the top 10 are the City of Houston, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Air Force, and the City of Dallas.

See the last rankings here.