Green Power Leadership Awards Announced
November 16, 2011
About The Awards
DOE's Green Power Supplier Awards
The DOE Supplier Awards recognize organizations that make exceptional contributions to the development of voluntary green power markets. Award winners were evaluated and selected based upon the overall renewable energy resource or product mix supplied (including amount of new renewable energy capacity generated and total annual renewable energy sales),program customer participation and growth, impact on public awareness and marketplace leadership, and product or marketing innovations leading to wider adoption of renewable energy by businesses, households and consumers.
EPA's Green Power Purchaser Awards
The EPA Purchaser Awards honor EPA Green Power Partners that have helped build a market for green power by making significant purchases of renewable energy. Award winners were selected based upon criteria including the quantity and type of renewable energy purchased, the impact of their green power purchases, the extent to which their actions have helped to establish a precedent that may catalyze similar actions by others, and the extent to which they demonstrated innovative purchasing strategies.
CRS's Market Development Awards
The Center for Resource Solutions' Market Development Awards recognize efforts to build the green power marketplace, and advance the renewable energy industry. They honor innovative marketing and promotional campaigns to increase widespread awareness of renewable energy options, cutting-edge outreach efforts by individuals or organizations to boost interest in green power, and outstanding contributions and continuous individual achievement in support of renewable energy.
2011 Green Power Leadership Award Winners
DOE Green Power Supplier Awards
Non-Utility Green Power Supplier of the Year
Utility Green Power Program of the Year
Innovative Green Power Program of the Year
EPA Green Power Purchaser Awards
On-site Generation
Green Power Purchasing
Green Power Partner of the Year
Green Power Community of the Year
CRS Market Development Awards
Best Green Power Education Outreach Program
Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Purchaser
Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Supplier
Green Power Pioneer
DOE Green Power Supplier Awards
Category: Non-Utility Green Power Supplier of the Year
3Degrees
A green power industry leader, 3Degrees' mission is to mitigate the effects of climate change by accelerating the low-carbon, renewable energy economy. 3Degrees' dedication to creating an intelligent, efficient and reliable voluntary market for renewable energy is reflected in its work developing the market's regulatory infrastructure, and in its efforts to help organizations utilize green power commitments to build reputational and stakeholder value. In addition, by educating corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and even other renewable energy providers on best practices for green power communications, 3Degrees has become a mentor and trusted partner for those seeking to expand awareness of the benefits of renewable energy. In the 2010 Green-e Energy reporting year, 3Degrees supplied its voluntary customers with Green-e Energy Certified RECs sourced from nearly 250 renewable generation facilities across the country. Of these RECs, over 70 percent were generated by wind farms. In addition, over this period 3Degrees purchased Green-e Energy Certified RECs from over 130 different solar power facilities. Moreover, in 2010 3Degrees estimates that it helped its utility green power program partners communicate the benefits of renewable energy to almost 5 million residential and commercial customers. 3Degrees is also helping foster the growth of the green power market over the next decade. For example, by serving on the WindMade Sounding Board 3Degrees has aided in the development of the new WindMade consumer product label, which seeks to spark demand for renewable energy and educate the public on its importance. 3Degrees was voted the 2010 #1 U.S. REC Trading Company in Environmental Finance Magazine's annual survey of industry professionals. In both 2010 and 2011 Inc Magazine placed 3Degrees on its Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest Growing Companies. 3Degrees received Green Power Leadership Awards in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. 34
Washington Gas Energy Services
Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. (WGES), one of the largest and most experienced energy suppliers in the Mid-Atlantic region, has a history of innovative green energy leadership. In 2002, WGES supported the first wind farm in the PJM grid by including wind in their standard electricity offer. Today, WGES maintains its leadership by funding more solar projects than any other developer in Washington, DC, with nearly 6 megawatts. Furthermore, WGES is one of the first suppliers to include local carbon offsets in their natural gas offers. WGES empowers customers to reduce their total energy carbon footprint by educating all customers about the suite of green products available to them. In response, demand for WGES's products, particularly wind power, has increased dramatically in recent years. WGES has emerged as the go to supplier for individuals and businesses interested in greening their energy portfolio in the Mid-Atlantic region. WGES now has over 40 times more WGES CleanStepsSM WindPower customers than in 2006. And in one year alone, from 2009-2010, WGES's non-mandated wind load increased 253% overall — almost doubling on the residential side while increasing nearly seven-fold on the commercial side. During the last year, WGES responded to customer demand by creating and updating business tools such as an online marketing toolkit, an informational website, and a 'wind power partners' testimonial webpage. WGES uses various forms of media, including print ads, to recognize commercial wind power customers. WGES speaks at and participates in events like the U.S. Department of Energy Earth Day Celebration and the Howard County Greenfest. The company also plays a lead role in supporting EPA's Green Power Communities, particularly in Washington, DC. Today, more than 13,000 residential customers and almost 3,600 commercial customers purchase WGES's high wind brand, WGES CleanStepsSM WindPower. As WGES spreads the word about the benefits of green power — both to existing customers, and also to prospective new customers — the company's green customer base continues to grow.
Category: Utility Green Power Program of the Year
DTE Energy
GreenCurrents is a voluntary renewable energy program from Michigan-based energy company DTE Energy. To meet customer demand, the GreenCurrents program committed to more than $5.7 million in long-term contracts for Michigan generated sources of renewable energy, supporting the generation of electricity from Michigan-based renewable energy sources. The program has enabled development or expansion of new wind and biomass energy facilities in Michigan, with more than 10,000 megawatt hours of generation added in 2010. DTE Energy currently has more than 22,000 participants that generated more than 57,000 megawatt hours of Green-e certified renewable energy last year. The GreenCurrents program was heavily involved in the community last year and participated in more than 150 events ranging from Earth Day expos to the Detroit Tigers' Going, Going, Green baseball game. The team at GreenCurrents achieved an outstanding feat in having more than 7 million customer touches promoting renewable energy, including presenting at more than 50 schools in the area to educate youth on how renewable energy can be used in the future and offering pointers on how students can green-up their own lifestyles. The Green Currents program is one of the fastest growing green power programs in the country despite a very tough economic climate in Michigan. In 2009, the DTE Energy GreenCurrents program made a major slam-dunk by greening-up the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament at Ford Field, making it the first Final Four in history to be 100 percent electric carbon-free. In addition, GreenCurrents provided electric carbon offset events for the Major League Baseball All Star Game and the Super Bowl. These events created significant media attention about the DTE Energy GreenCurrents program, and raised consumer awareness of the benefits of renewable energy.
Category: Innovative Green Power Program of the Year
Clean Energy Collective
The Clean Energy Collective (CEC) has partnered with Holy Cross Energy, a rural electric cooperative, to offer the nation's first customer-owned community-solar program. The CEC is a Colorado based company that develops affordable, community owned solar farms in partnership with local utilities. Holy Cross Energy customers actually own, not lease, part of a local "solar farm." A few of the CEC's many important improvements to the solar market include expansion of solar ownership accessibility to literally everyone with a utility bill: renters, shaded or challenged onsite solar properties and low income participants — as a whole these groups represent a buying market nearly 7 times larger than today's onsite solar market. The CEC model also provides utilities with reliable, utility scale, clean energy solutions that are operated and maintained for 50-year performance, owned by and benefiting ratepayers. Uniquely, customers have the ability to transfer a panel's bill credits to new meters or to sell panels when a customer leaves the network. This allows customers to own the asset and benefit from owning the panel and its production long term, or by selling the panel. An important replicable advantage of the Clean Energy Collective program is its proprietary RemoteMeter® billing software. RemoteMeter® reliably tracks and applies Renewable Energy Generation (REG) Credit payments directly on customer bills by integrating directly with any utility's billing system. RemoteMeter® allows customers and utilities to securely monitor realtime production, bill credits and telemetry information on a personalized basis via web and mobile devices. These traits have enabled an innovative model for solar ownership that benefits utilities and their customers by making solar affordable and cost-effective. This new model has the potential to vastly expand the marketplace for clean energy ownership and production nationally by aggregating consumer investment to collectively provide utilities and customers with a low risk, financially advantageous way to procure local renewable energy.
EPA Green Power Purchaser Awards
Category: On-site Generation
City of San Francisco, California
The City of San Francisco, California, is a leader in on-site green power generation, using more than 30 million kilowatt-hours annually from its biogas facilities and municipal solar installations. Additionally, in the past year, the City installed two new municipal solar arrays, adding 135 kilowatts to the city's existing 7.2 megawatt (MW) solar portfolio. San Francisco's solar installations are located on many city facilities, including the Moscone Convention Center, a water pollution control plant, a public health center, a recycling center, a public library, a MUNI transportation agency building, as well as the San Francisco International Airport. In 2010, San Francisco added a new milestone to its portfolio: California's largest urban, municipal solar project. The City installed 24,000 solar panels over an area the size of 12 football fields, tripling its municipal solar generating capacity from 2.2 MW to more than 7 MW. The City also operates more than 3 MW of biogas generation facilities. The City of San Francisco's goal is to obtain all city-used municipal electricity from pollutionfree sources, while creating jobs and driving economic growth. To help meet this goal, the City will continue to release bids for solar installations in 2012 and is planning for the installation of an in-line hydroelectric renewable facility late next year. The City is also considering adding urban wind and ocean power projects to its portfolio. San Francisco also strongly encourages its businesses and residents to support clean power. In 2011, the City made $3.8 million available to San Franciscans for solar rebates through its GoSolarSF Program. The City of San Francisco also received On-site Generation Awards in 2004 and 2010.
SC Johnson & Son
SC Johnson & Son is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products. A leader in on-site green power generation, SC Johnson has taken steps to minimize its impact for decades. In 2003, a biogas-powered turbine was installed at Waxdale, the company's 2.2 million square foot facility in Sturtevant, Wis. that uses landfill gas from a local public landfill to generate nearly 27 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually. A second cogeneration turbine was constructed in 2004 to use a combination of landfill and natural gas. Together, these turbines generate the daily base load of electricity and between half and all the steam needed for the plant's operations. In 2008, SC Johnson purchased nearly 32 million kWh of wind power, enough to supply almost 50 percent of the electricity use of its Bay City, Mich. factory. In 2010, three SWIFT micro wind turbines were installed on a building at the Racine, Wis. headquarters to raise awareness of the urban applications of renewable energy. SC Johnson also has a three megawatt wind turbine at its manufacturing plant in Mijdrecht, Netherlands. SC Johnson actively promotes green power by sharing its activities at conferences, public speaking engagements, and on its website. Tours of the Waxdale generation operations are available to customers and suppliers, as well as non-governmental and governmental organizations and educational institutions.
Category: Green Power Purchasing
Adobe Systems Inc.
A long-time leader in setting the bar for environmental sustainability in Silicon Valley, Adobe Systems Inc. has taken proactive steps to use green power at its downtown San Jose headquarters. Starting in 2008, the company embarked on a mission to achieve carbon neutrality for its headquarters by 2015, with an ultimate goal of operating net-zero facilities across its real estate portfolio. In late 2010, Adobe announced the installation of 12 Bloom Energy fuel cells at its San Jose campus. These fuel cells collectively provide approximately 30 percent of the campus' electricity needs, and after planned upgrades take place in 2012, they are expected to meet 80 percent of Adobe's San Jose power consumption. To reduce its use of fossil fuels, Adobe purchases green power in the form of clean biogas sourced from a landfill to power the fuel cells. In 2009, the company installed 20 Windspire wind turbines, and since then the wind turbines have consistently generated on-site power for the company. The company continues to explore additional opportunities to deploy green power technologies to its other sites in North America. To further reduce the company's carbon footprint, Adobe also purchases verifiable emission reductions (VERs) and renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset its Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions, respectively, for its U.S. and Canadian sites, and it is continuing to expand this program. Adobe is also a recognized leader for its green building efforts, having earned ten LEED® platinum certifications for multiple office locations.17
Allegheny College
Allegheny College, in Meadville, Pennsylvania, is a leader in environmental stewardship and has fostered a culture of environmental responsibility within its students, faculty, administrators, and community. One of the charter signatories of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, Allegheny College has developed a Climate Action Plan and is actively pursuing its goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2020. Allegheny College is widely viewed as a role model for other organizations because of its creative green strategies that emphasize engagement, efficiency, and integration to achieve significant sustainability goals. In January 2011, Allegheny College committed to purchasing Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) to match 100 percent of the college's electricity usage for three years, equal to approximately 15 million kilowatt-hours per year. The green power purchase allows the college to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and move towards achieving its goal of climate neutrality by 2020. At the same time, the college is pursuing the implementation of many other environmentally responsible initiatives. Allegheny College has implemented energy-efficiency projects in campus buildings, established an on-campus composting facility, planted more than an acre of native species wildflowers to reduce grounds maintenance, and has developed a "Green Tour" for prospective students to highlight the campus's efforts to reduce its environmental impacts. The college also holds an annual October Energy Challenge to raise awareness about environmental impacts and encourages students, faculty, and staff to reduce electricity consumption in campus buildings. Last year during the Energy Challenge, the campus achieved a 10 percent reduction in energy usage from behavior change alone. Financial savings associated with this behavioral reduction will fund the installation of solar panels on campus.
Datapipe, Inc.
Headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, Datapipe is a global Information Technology (IT) company that specializes in cloud computing and mission-critical IT services. Rooted in its belief that companies have a responsibility to mitigate the environmental impact of their operations, the company recently took the step of purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) equal to 100 percent of the electricity consumed each year by its U.S. offices and data centers. Datapipe's data center in London, England is also powered by 100 percent green power and the company is evaluating programs to further enhance its international green initiatives. Datapipe's annual purchase of nearly 56 million kilowatt-hours of wind power for its U.S. operations makes the company one of the largest green power users in the IT sector and a member of EPA's Green Power Leadership Club. Datapipe's commitment to the environment extends beyond purchasing green power. The company has made energy conservation a top priority and uses sophisticated energy management technologies and energy efficient equipment, delivering a 55 percent drop in power demand compared to its baseline levels. The company has several other green initiatives, including using green building practices for new facilities, promoting recycling and waste reduction opportunities, incentivizing the use of mass transit for its employees, and rolling out a paperless billing option for its customers. In recognition of its environmental achievements, including its green power purchasing, Datapipe was awarded the 2011 New Jersey Business & Industry Association's Award for Excellence in the category of Environmental Quality.
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is an undergraduate liberal arts college located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Franklin & Marshall has been a supporter of green power for many years, purchasing wind power since 2002. Franklin & Marshall currently purchases wind-sourced renewable energy certificates (RECs) totaling more than 16 million kilowatt-hours annually, equal to more than 80 percent of its electricity requirements. Franklin & Marshall has also led the charge for utility-scale solar in Pennsylvania by being the first to commit to a long-term solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) agreement. This is the first time that a retail electric customer in Pennsylvania has committed to purchasing RECs from a solar project prior to construction, demonstrating leadership not only amongst other higher education institutions in Pennsylvania but also across industries. Franklin & Marshall's significant commitment to green power is representative of the institution's larger social and environmental initiatives. Franklin & Marshall believes that sustainability and stewardship, as informed by the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, are inextricably linked in understanding humanity's place in the contemporary world. As such, the college has implemented a wide array of sustainability initiatives including energy efficiency programs, several green roofs, a bike sharing program, an organic garden as well as community gardens for faculty, staff, and students, a fair trade café, a sustainability themed house, a brownfield reclamation project, and an environmental action alliance student organization. In 2007, Franklin & Marshall's President signed the President's Climate Agreement as a charter signatory indicating the college's commitment to working toward carbon neutrality.
Jackson Family Wines
Founded in 1982, Jackson Family Wines is a family owned and family-managed company that produces over 45 brands of wine in more than a dozen wineries in California. Long a leader in sustainable farming practices, in 2008 the company launched a comprehensive sustainability program and has since earned multiple certifications and awards in recognition of its efforts. Energy conservation and green power, in particular, have been cornerstones of its approach to sustainability. As a sign of its commitment, Jackson Family Wines purchases renewable energy certificates (RECs) equal to 130 percent of its annual electricity consumption. Jackson Family Wines takes extensive steps to reduce its electricity usage including installing procedures and equipment across its facilities to conserve over 9 million kilowatt-hours annually. The company participates in a voluntary demand response program, removing more than 3 megawatt hours of demand from the grid when called upon. They've also moved into green power generation and are installing one of the largest solar cogeneration systems at a private facility, with 96 arrays producing electricity and hot water equal to almost 700,000 kWh annually. Additionally, they've completed two LEED® Gold certified projects and are pursuing certification for more than 20 other facilities. Jackson Family Wines also encourages its suppliers to use green power. When surveying its current and prospective suppliers, the company asks about the supplier's use of green power, and provides a description of their commitment to energy conservation and RECs along with a message asking suppliers to also commit to green power. Finally, the company encourages its employees to practice sustainability at home, and to help facilitate this, Jackson Family Wines purchases RECs on behalf of each of its 1,100 employees' home usage, providing each a certificate bearing their name and an explanation of the importance of using energy wisely.
Mercyhurst College
Mercyhurst College is a four-year Catholic institution located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Environmental as well as social responsibility is an important part of Mercyhurst's mission, and the school is committed to educating its students and the surrounding community about ways to ensure a sustainable future. In 2003, Mercyhurst made its first green power purchase covering 10 percent of the college's electricity needs. Later in 2008, Mercyhurst College increased the purchase to 30 percent. Currently, Mercyhurst College is using 100 percent green power and purchasing nearly 16 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind and solar-generated renewable energy credits (RECs). The school also installed an on-site solar system, which provides an additional 3,900 kWh of electricity each year. In April 2011, with the purchase increase as well as on-site system, Mercyhurst College was named the 2010-2011 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Individual Conference Champion by EPA for using more green power than any other school in the conference. Mercyhurst's commitment to the environment doesn't stop at using green power. The school also encourages ongoing participation in recycling and energy conservation, offers a major as well as minor in Sustainability Studies for students interested in enhancing their chosen major with an environmental focus, and provides the larger community with several ways to get involved in sustainability projects. The college is working on installing a compost system designed to accept an average of 200 pounds per day of compostable material, which aims to strengthen overall waste reduction efforts on campus while also reducing the need to purchase mulch. The college has also installed a green roof on one of its buildings, which reduces storm water runoff, extends the life of the roof, saves on energy costs, and provides educational opportunities for students and community members.
MetLife
MetLife — the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company — is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs. MetLife began purchasing wind power in 2007 and has continued to demonstrate leadership by increasing its green power commitment in the intervening years. In 2011, MetLife purchased more than 65 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power for the buildings it owns or operates, accounting for nearly 53 percent of its total U.S. electricity use. MetLife appears on EPA's list of Fortune 500® Partners and has been repeatedly recognized by third-party organizations for its environmental leadership. Purchasing green power is part of MetLife's broader carbon emissions reduction strategy, an initiative that has reduced the company's carbon emissions by nearly 40 percent since 2005. All 14 of MetLife's U.S. owned and/or operated buildings are ENERGY STAR certified, and six of them are LEED® certified. In addition, MetLife supports environmental sustainability by investing in ventures that will have a positive impact on the environment throughout its growing global enterprise. To date, MetLife has invested more than $1.6 billion in renewable energy projects. The company also encourages its business partners, suppliers, and vendors to use green power by including sustainability criteria in its request-for-proposals template and weighting scores based on respondents' sustainability activities. MetLife communicates its green power purchasing to its many stakeholders — including 66,600 employees and more than 90 million customers in 60 countries — via internal and public websites, press releases, news stories, and its annual corporate social responsibility report.
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University (SCU) is dedicated to developing a culture of sustainability. SCU is using a combination of stewardship, education, and outreach to achieve this goal. The university takes a long-term view of how best to incorporate green power into its sustainability and energy strategy. In 2004, SCU adopted a Comprehensive Policy on Sustainability. In 2006, SCU proposed a 20-year energy strategy. In 2007, Santa Clara University's President signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment. In 2010, SCU completed its first Climate Neutrality Action Plan, setting a goal to reach climate neutrality by the end of 2015. All the while, SCU has increased its commitment to purchasing green power. SCU's current green power commitment of 30 million kilowatt-hours annually matches 100 percent of the university's electricity consumption. SCU is currently one of only 19 colleges and universities in EPA's Green Power Partnership that buys green power at the 100 percent level. In addition to its green power purchase, the SCU campus is currently home to 1,050 kilowatts of photovoltaics, and is working toward the goal of installing 3 megawatts of renewable energy generating capacity. In April 2011, SCU activated a 60-collector solar thermal system — the largest rooftop concentrating solar thermal installation built to date in California. The panels will produce an estimated 6,727 therms of energy annually and heat water for dining services, reducing waterheating bills by as much as 70 percent. Finally, SCU is installing a smart microgrid, which ties its power source, transmission, distribution, and consumption data to weather reports, thereby maximizing energy savings. Once complete in December 2011, the smart microgrid is estimated to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent and save SCU about 20 percent in energy costs.
State Street Corporation
Headquartered in Boston, State Street Corporation is a global financial services company providing institutional investors with investment servicing, management, research, and trading services. In 2007, State Street began purchasing green power, and in 2010 the company nearly doubled its purchase to 110 million kilowatt-hours of Green-e certified green power, nearly 60 percent of State Street's total U.S. electricity use. This purchase earned State Street a place in the Green Power Leadership Club and a spot on both EPA's National Top 50 List and its list of Fortune 500 Partners. State Street is committed to mitigating the effects of climate change and spreads awareness of its green power activities through its website, stakeholder calls, employee communication and outreach, annual corporate responsibility report, and environmental fairs in North America and Europe. State Street also combines its traditional investments in affordable housing with opportunities to invest in green power. It is the lead investor in a credit enhancement fund, managed by a nonprofit organization, whose sole purpose is to facilitate alternative energy use, especially solar for hot water and electricity generation, at 750 units in existing Massachusetts affordable housing developments. To date, the fund has installed solar panels capable of generating 1.9 megawatts of solar power. State Street's $5 million investment leveraged more than $17 million in other public and private funding for these investments.
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), the state's oldest institution of higher learning, is a thriving, metropolitan university intent on leading the way to bright, successful futures for its students and community. UCO believes that universities have a special role and special responsibility in confronting the challenges of climate change and environmental stewardship. UCO is dedicated to confronting these challenges both through its core values of Character, Community, and Civility, and the positive efforts of its Central Community. Since UCO started purchasing wind power in 2006, it has consistently been one of the largest green power purchasers among EPA's higher education partners and is the only university in Oklahoma to be 100 percent wind-powered. The university is purchasing 26 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually through its local utility. To date, UCO has realized savings of more than $50,000 by switching to all wind power. In addition to purchasing wind power, the school is investigating the possibility of installing wind turbines on campus, which would supply power to the campus and be used for demonstration and educational purposes. UCO has clearly established its position as a national leader in sustainable best practices. In addition to being a leader in the EPA's Green Power Partnership, UCO also has onsite biodiesel production, uses ENERGY STAR qualified products, was the first university in Oklahoma to institute a commercial car-share program, developed one of the first sustainable bike-share programs in the region, and garnered wins in both the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Recycling categories of EPA's inaugural Game Day Challenge.
Category: Green Power Partner of the Year
Empire State Building
The 102-story landmark Empire State Building (ESB) is an international icon, the world's most famous office building. Through its two-year commitment to purchase nearly 55 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually in January 2011, the building became one of New York City's largest commercial purchasers of 100 percent green power. As of April 2011, the purchase was the largest green power purchase of any Green Power Partner in New York City. ESB's green power purchase further reinforces the building's sustainability strategy that was announced in April 2009 by President Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A team led by ownership, the Clinton Climate Initiative, Johnson Controls Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, and the Rocky Mountain Institute created a ground breaking, replicable model for energy efficiency analysis and retrofit that will reduce energy consumption in the building by nearly 40 percent and $4.4 million annually. This innovative model made ESB a global leader for quantitatively-based energy efficiency retrofits. In July 2010, ESB unveiled an interactive, multi-media sustainability exhibit in its second floor Observatory Visitor's Center, which showcases the energy retrofit project. The installation aims to educate the millions of people who visit the building every year on the positive global impact of energy efficient building, green power, and sustainable living practices. To further educate visitors and tenants about the benefits of the iconic building's use of green power, ESB installed a four-window display in its Fifth Avenue lobby. The display highlights the benefits of pollution-free green power versus traditional fossil fuels and also educates people about the economic and environmental attributes of green power.
Google Inc.
Google Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, California, is one of the world's largest technology companies and operates one of the most popular Web properties. In 2007, Google announced a commitment to carbon neutrality by taking responsibility for its carbon emissions and promoting sustainable environmental solutions. Google has since applied its energy and resources to both developing and using green power. To spur development in renewable energy, Google has invested in start-up technology companies and internal R&D to drive down the costs of renewable electricity through its REC initiative (renewable electricity cheaper than coal). Google has also made financial investments totaling more than $850 million in renewable energy companies and projects. For example, Google helped create the largest residential solar fund in the U.S., and has invested in several renewable energy projects, including the world's largest wind project, the Alta Wind Energy Center, and solar power tower, the Ivanpah project. Ultimately, all of the projects in which Google has invested will deploy more than 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of renewables. Google does not just invest in renewables and technology development — the company also buys and uses green power. In 2007, Google installed a 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) installation at its headquarters, the largest such facility at the time. In July 2010, Google signed a twenty-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output from 114 MW of wind power at the Story County II wind farm in Iowa. In 2010, this represented four percent of Google's total electricity consumption and is expected to cover almost 10 percent in 2011, the first complete year under contract. In April 2011, Google signed a similar PPA, this time for the output from 101 MW of wind power at the Minco II facility in Oklahoma. When up and running in 2012, Google expects these two projects to provide the equivalent of at least 15 percent of its electricity consumption.
Intel Corporation
Intel is the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer and, since 2008, the nation's largest voluntary buyer of green power. Not content with the status quo, in 2011 Intel increased its green power usage by 75 percent, from approximately 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) to more than 2.5 billion kWh — equal to almost 90 percent of its U.S. electricity use. In addition to purchasing green power, Intel hosts a total of 12 solar systems on multiple locations in Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, California, India, and Israel that total more than three megawatts (MW). Several additional sites are due to be completed in 2011. These projects consist of ground and roof-mounted solar arrays, in addition to solar support structures in the parking lots. Intel's largest installation is an approximate one MW facility in Folsom, California, that spans 5.5 acres and produces more than 1.5 million kWh annually. "Solar kiosks" are located at each of Intel's solar sites to educate employees and visitors about the company's green power efforts, along with showing real-time information on electricity generated from these systems. With nearly 97,000 employees worldwide, employee engagement is paramount at Intel. Intel has developed a social networking platform called "Planet Blue," which is helping increase employee awareness of its commitment to green power. This platform provides opportunities for employees to collaborate on sustainability projects. Intel also created a residential solar energy discount program for employees to leverage its green power leadership beyond the organization's boundaries. Intel communicates its green power leadership to a variety of stakeholders using platforms such as webinars, seminars, keynote events, lobby displays, Facebook, Twitter, and corporate communication channels. Intel received a Partner of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009 and a Green Power Purchaser Award in 2010.
Kohl's Department Stores
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Kohl's Department Stores is one of the largest retailers in the United States, with more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. Kohl's is committed to protecting and conserving the environment by seeking innovative solutions that encourage long-term sustainability. From 2009 to 2010, Kohl's increased its green power purchase by 60 percent, from approximately 850 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) to more than 1.3 billion kWh, enough to meet 100 percent of its purchased electricity needs. Kohl's ongoing commitment to green power has consistently earned the company a spot on EPA's Top 20 Retail List and National Top 50 Purchasers List. The largest retail sector host of solar power in North America, Kohl's has more than 100 solar locations in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. The company retains the renewable energy certificates (RECs) for one-third of these installations. Kohl's activated solar arrays provide 20 to 40 percent of the power to each location they service, generating approximately 15 million kWh of green power annually. Kohl's actively engages stakeholders across its supply chain in an effort to maintain sustainable operations. In 2009, Kohl's began a program in collaboration with more than 300 top merchandise partners to measure supply chain sustainability. The program requires partners to complete quarterly surveys in order to measure sustainability improvements relating to energy efficiency and green power use. Kohl's has held a series of webinars and roundtables to share its commitment to the environment, highlighting its green power activities. Kohl's also shares its green power and sustainability efforts at various conferences each year. Kohl's received a Green Power Purchasing Award in 2007, an On-site Generation Award in 2008, and Partner of the Year Awards in 2009 and 2010.
Staples
When Staples first committed to use green power nearly a decade ago, the goal was to purchase two percent of its total energy load, or nearly 9.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power. Staples quickly exceeded its expectations and has continued to increase its green power use ever since. In 2011, Staples purchased green power equal to nearly 53 percent of its total electricity consumption, or 340 million kWh — double its 2010 purchase levels. Staples also deploys green energy technology at many of its facilities, including solar, fuel cells, and on-site generation controls. In 2010, Staples expanded the number of sites where it hosts solar arrays from 28 to 34; additional sites are being considered this year. The company's on-site electricity generating capacity is 10 megawatts (MW), and within five years, Staples plans to increase the total installed capacity of alternative energy sources to 50 MW, a 500 percent increase. In addition to its commitment to green power, EPA named Staples a 2011 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in Energy Management for its achievement in reducing energy consumption by more than 11 percent. Staples operates 41 all-electric trucks that make deliveries to customers in multiple markets in the United States. Staples is also on the leading edge when it comes to educating customers, the general public, and suppliers about its green power use. Through the "Staples Soul" section on its website, in-store signage, press releases, and other media, Staples relays the latest information on its sustainability efforts. Staples is ranked in Newsweek's Green Rankings for retailers in 2010 and was selected for the seventh consecutive year as a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. Staples won Partner of the Year Awards in 2004 and 2007, and a Green Power Purchasing Award in 2006.
Category: Green Power Community of the Year
Portland, Oregon Community
Portland, Oregon has a long history of engaging its residents, businesses, and stakeholders in developing and implementing strategies to reduce carbon emissions. In 1993, the city released its Carbon Dioxide Reduction Strategy, which was followed eight years later by the joint Multnomah County-City of Portland Local Action Plan on Global Warming. As of 2009, local emissions had fallen to two percent below 1990 levels. Today, the city's Climate Action Plan has a community-wide goal of reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. In 2010, as part of Portland's effort to reduce the region's carbon footprint, the city joined forces with its local utilities and challenged residents and businesses to support green power through their utility's voluntary program. The challenge was a great success, and by the end, Portland had more than tripled its goal of 1,000 new signups with a total of 3,130 new residential and business customers. In October 2010, Portland became an EPA Green Power Community — the largest in the nation at that time. Currently, Portland has the highest participation rate among Green Power Communities of its population size with more than 15 percent of its utilities' customers buying green power equal to nearly eight percent of its total electricity load. Portland's city government is also leading by example. The city has set an aggressive target of using 100 percent renewable energy for its municipal operations in the near future. Portland currently produces 16 million kilowatt-hours of electricity use from on-site renewable resources, including a 1.7 megawatt biogas plant, a demonstration wind turbine, a biogas fuel cell, hydro generation, solar parking meters, solar pool and water heating, and solar electric installations totaling more than 400 kilowatts.
Washington, D.C. Community
The District of Columbia is setting a strong example of national leadership in the effort to transform the nation's energy sources to clean renewable energy. The District's Government, businesses, institutions, and residents are collectively purchasing nearly 760 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, making it the largest Green Power Community in the nation. Alone, the District Government — through its Department of Real Estate Services and District Department of the Environment — purchases 244 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, or 50 percent of its total municipal load. The Community's green power leadership comes from a broad cross-section of the city's businesses, universities, embassies, hotels, restaurants, non-profits, and residents. The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (Downtown BID) has led the charge in the commercial sector, while local energy suppliers have provided meaningful green power outreach to their customers. Through the collective purchases, more than 8 percent of the electricity sold in the District comes from green power. As impressive as this may be, the competitive spirit of the District and everyday citizens is helping to drive the community's percentage of green power use higher each day. The policies and practices employed in the District are helping to position the region as a nexus of economic development powered by green energy. From grassroots community-wide green power campaigns, to unparalleled attendance at events such as the Solar Decathlon, to the District's implementation of a strong renewable portfolio standard, to the installation of photovoltaic systems on hundreds of rooftops across the city, a true spirit of renewal and opportunity make the District of Columbia uniquely worthy of its Green Power Community of the Year status.
CRS Market Development Awards
Category: Best Green Power Education Outreach Program
Tennessee Valley Campus Outreach Program
As part of the Tennessee Valley Authority's commitment to the environment and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's (SACE) mission to promote policy change through education and outreach, the Tennessee Valley University Outreach Program has promoted green power since 2003. The purpose of this program, staffed by SACE and supported by TVA, is to coordinate student-organized and -led policy initiatives on campuses throughout the TVA region. Through these initiatives, students establish clean energy funds (commonly called "green fees"), which are tuition increases or funds set aside by the administration. These funds are used in four ways: the purchase of green power from TVA's voluntary green pricing program, Green Power Switch, onsite generation of renewable energy, energy efficiency upgrades, and conservation education initiatives. Tennessee currently leads the nation in the most campus clean energy funds with nine. Universities purchase more than 20,000 MWh annually from Green Power Switch, accounting for nearly a third of TVA's commercial green power sales. The program's impact reaches beyond education to substantiate actual investment in green power. Tennessee's campus clean energy funds raise over $2.3 million annually for investment in green power, onsite generation, energy efficiency, and energy conservation education programs. Through student summits and conferences, the program trained more than 700 students on leadership skills to develop the next generation of environmental leaders. Many students carry the skills they developed while campaigning into their careers. Student leaders have graduated to become green power advocates working in jobs ranging from Green Workforce Development for the State of Tennessee, to Clean Energy Campaigners in California.
Category: Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Purchaser
New Leaf Paper / Green Mountain Roasters / Villanti & Sons, Printers
The decision to publish Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) 2010 Annual Report and Corporate Social Responsibility Report as Green-e® Marketplace re:print publications was "simply the right choice" according to the company. The Green-e Marketplace re:print program grants the Green-e logo to organizations who source both their paper and printing through Green-e printers and paper manufacturers. GMCR began "Brewing a Better World" nearly 30 years ago with a commitment to contribute 5% of pre-tax profits to support socially and environmentally responsible initiatives. Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives evolved over the years becoming increasingly integrated into their business model. In 2003 GMCR began matching their facilities' electrical use with 100% Green-e certified renewable energy credits (RECs). Working with Green-e Certified printer, Villanti & Sons, Printers, Inc. — who purchase Green-e certified RECs to offset their facilities' electrical use — and Green-e certified paper from New Leaf Paper, Inc. — New Leaf Imagination, produced from 100% post-consumer-waste without the use of chlorine compounds — the three organizations were able to effectively minimize the energy footprint of their printing by ensuring each step in the production and printing of collateral had been sourced from Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy. Over six thousand annual reports were printed for distribution to shareholders and other stakeholders. These three businesses demonstrated how an innovative program like re:print helps incorporate more efficient and sustainable practices for organizations of all sizes, set and achieve goals tailored to the businesses' needs, and gain recognition for these efforts.
Category: Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Supplier
Clean Currents
Clean Currents is an independent green energy supplier serving residential, commercial, and industrial entities in the District of Columbia and Maryland — offering 50% and 100% Green-e Energy certified wind power (national wind RECs) products. A general lack of awareness about electricity choice remains the biggest obstacle to expanding Clean Currents' customer base. As Clean Currents remains the only locally headquartered and exclusively green energy supplier in the Maryland/DC area, it was within the company's best interest to promote electric choice and specifically green electric choices. This inspired their "Power to Choose" campaign which ran through the months of April-June, 2010. The "Power to Choose" marketing campaign was conceived through collaborative efforts of the entire Clean Currents team and used customer and market research to identify customer demographics. The campaign consisted of five distinct avenues — radio, print, direct mail, road signs, and search ads/social media — and proved to be a creative success because of the fact that each component helped to boost the others, leading to a mutually beneficial result. Clean Currents enrolled nearly one thousand residential customers within the period that the "Power to Choose" campaign ran (a Clean Currents historical record for a three-month span). Overall, Clean Currents deemed the "Power to Choose" campaign a success, as direct residential wind power enrollments were drastically boosted within the target geographic area and brand awareness/public sentiment was improved within the Pepco and BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) utility territories.
Category: Green Power Pioneer
Senator Jeff Bingaman, (D) New Mexico
For three decades, Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) has served the state of New Mexico as Senator, and is widely regarded as one of the strongest and most effective advocates for environmental protection in the U.S. Senate. He currently serves the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he championed bold and progressive legislation to promote renewable energy, a top priority. He helped write the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which expanded the federal tax incentives for electricity production from wind, solar, biomass and other renewable sources. In September 2010 he introduced the Renewable Electricity Promotion Act, which would have created the first-ever national renewable electricity standard (RES) requiring states to generate at least 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021. On March 21, 2011, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released a whitepaper asking for input on the design of a clean energy standard. The whitepaper asked six broad policy questions that the committee now faces before developing CES legislation. One of those challenges is implementing a CES alongside state RPSs and regional cap and trade programs like those in RGGI and California. Jeff is one of the most senior Democrats in the United States Senate. His seniority, along with his leadership positions on key committees, has allowed him to stand up for issues important to families and communities.
For additional information, please visit Green Power Leadership Awards and Renewable Energy Markets 2011 websites.
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