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Green Power Planet #34
September 27, 2011

In this edition of the Green Power Planet:

Washington, DC and Brookeville, MD Win First Green Power Community Challenge

On September 27, EPA recognized the Washington, DC Green Power Community and the Brookeville, MD Green Power Community as the winners of the inaugural Green Power Community Challenge. The Challenge is a year-long campaign to encourage cities, towns, villages, and Native American tribes to use renewable energy and fight climate change.

In 2010-2011, Washington, DC, used more green power than any other GPC in the country, with District residents, businesses, non-profits, schools, federal agencies, and the District government using more than 772 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power. Brookeville, MD, uses green power for 46 percent of its total electricity consumption, the highest percentage of green power use in the country.

At the beginning of the Challenge, EPA set a goal of doubling collective GPC purchases from more than 900 million kWh to 1.8 billion kWh. Over the course of the Challenge, GPCs increased their green power purchases by approximately 2.4 billion kWh a 266 percent increase that far surpassed EPA's goal. Collectively, Green Power Communities are using more than 3.3 billion kWh of green power annually, the equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of nearly 285,000 average American homes.

Launch of 2011-2012 GPC Challenge

EPA is launching a new GPC Challenge for 2011-2012 with a goal of adding at least 20 new GPCs across the United States. EPA will again recognize the top Green Power Community in two categories: collective green power usage (kWh) and green power percentage of total electricity use. Any GPC that joins before the end of the Challenge is eligible to win. To learn more about the Challenge and how your community can participate, visit the GPC Challenge Web page.

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Top 50 Purchasers Step Up Their Green Power Purchasing

On July 25, GPP updated its Top Partner rankings. Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Stores, and Whole Foods Market remain the top three green power purchasers in the country. State Street Corporation made its first appearance on the National Top 50 list at No. 38, and U.S. Department of Energy (No. 11), Lockheed Martin Corporation (No. 12), Lowe's (No. 27), Oregon State University (No. 43), and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (No. 48) all increased their purchases by tens of millions of kWh.

Partners making first-time appearances on the rankings included Phillip Morris USA / Center for Research and Technology (No. 43) on the list of F500 Partners, Quinnipiac University (No. 19) on the Top 20 College and University list, and Adobe Systems Incorporated (No. 19) on the Top 20 On-site Generation list.

For a complete list of all Top Partner Rankings, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/index.htm.

Deadline for October Top Partner List Updates

GPP will next update the Top Partner Lists on October 24, 2011. In order to be included, green power usage updates must be submitted no later than October 5, 2011. Please contact your account manager if you would like to submit an update.

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Partner Spotlight: Clif Bar & Company

Clif Bar and Company logo.

In 2011, Clif Bar & Company installed the largest 'smart solar' array in North America to date on its new energy-efficient headquarters in Emeryville, California. Clif Bar & Company, a California-based maker of nutritious and organic foods and drinks for sport and snacking, has been purchasing and promoting green power since it joined GPP in 2003. The new smart solar array consists of over 1,900 Suntech 270 panels optimized with Tigo Maximizers. The 531.6 kW DC solar installation became fully operational in August 2011, supplying nearly 100 percent of Clif Bar headquarters' electricity use.

In addition to its landmark new solar array, Clif Bar is pursuing a number of initiatives to support green power and reduce its carbon footprint. Since 2003, the company has been purchasing carbon offsets that support the development of new sources of wind energy to offset the CO2 emissions generated by their office headquarters, vehicle fleet, and business travel, as well as the emissions from energy use in their bakeries and freight. In partnership with NativeEnergy, they helped build the first school district-owned wind turbine; the first large-scale Native American-owned wind turbine; and the 12.5 Megawatt Greensburg Wind Farm in Greensburg, Kansas. Clif Bar has also created innovative programs to encourage employees, consumers, and business partners to reduce their carbon footprint.

GPP recognized Clif Bar & Company's commitment to purchasing wind power with a Green Power Leadership Award in 2003 and by naming them Partner of the Year in 2004.


photo:Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, Clif Bar's owners and co-CEOs.

Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, Clif Bar's owners and co-CEOs (and husband and wife team), inspect their new rooftop solar array.

photo:photo:Clif Bar & Company’s 531.6 kW DC smart solar array, on the roof of company headquarters in Emeryville, California.

Clif Bar & Company's 531.6 kW DC smart solar array, on the roof of company headquarters in Emeryville, California.



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Welcome New Partners!

Welcome to the following 28 organizations that have recently joined the Green Power Partnership (as of August 26, 2011).

Consulting Services: Savenia LLC (Md.)s

Consumer Products: Stylex Seating (N.J.)

Education (Higher): Boston Architectural College (Mass.), Grand Rapids Community College (Mich.), Naropa University (Colo.), Quinnipiac University (Conn.), Roosevelt University (Ill.), Skidmore College (N.Y.)

Govt. (Local, Municipal): Borough of State College (Penn.), City of College Park (Md.), City of Chula Vista (Calif.), Town of Garrett Park (Md.)

Healthcare: Bayer HealthCare, LLC (Wash.)

Industrial Goods and Services: Boeing / South Carolina (S.C.), Cantex (Texas), The Dow Chemical Company (Mich.), States Logistics Services (Calif.)

Information Technology: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Calif.)

Non-Profit (NGO): Dumbarton House (D.C.), New Kensington Community Development Corporation (Penn.)

Printing: M&G Graphics (Ill.)

Real Estate: Barkan Management / Whittier Place (Mass.), Duke Realty (Mo.), Princeton International Properties Corp. / Jericho Office LLC (N.Y.), Princeton International Properties Corp. / Dashal Madison (N.Y.)

Religious: Center for Holistic Affordable Housing, Inc. (Ohio)

Restaurants & Food Services: Coppi's Organic Restaurant (D.C.)

Telecommunications: AT&T Services, Inc. / Austin, Texas Facilities (Texas)

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GPP Hosts Webinar on Converting Food Waste to Energy

On Wednesday, August 17, GPP hosted a webinar examining the anaerobic digestion of food waste to generate renewable energy. This webinar explored how food scraps can be diverted from landfills and used to generate renewable energy through an anaerobic digestion and biogas combustion process. Speakers included Laura Moreno of EPA's Pacific Southwest Region and David Henderson of the City of West Lafayette, Indiana, who discussed West Lafayette's unique partnership with Purdue University to use food scraps from the university's cafeteria as an energy source for the city's wastewater treatment plant. Presentations and a recording from this webinar can be accessed on GPP's website.

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Upcoming Webinars

Long-term Green Power Contracts Webinar October 26, 2011, 1:00 - 2:15 pm (EDT)
On Wednesday, October 26, from 1:00 - 2:15 pm (EDT), GPP will host a webinar that explores the ability of long-term green power contracts to drive the development of new renewable generation capacity. The webinar will cover various options for long-term procurement and highlight the experiences of several Green Power Partners who have committed to contracts of ten years or more. This webinar is ideal for organizations that want to forge a firm connection to a tangible, discrete renewable energy project for marketing and branding purposes. Please check back soon for registration details.

Green Power Communities Webinar To be scheduled
GPP will host a webinar on Green Power Communities, highlighting the opportunity for cities, towns, villages and tribal governments to leverage their individual green power purchases into a collective green power community initiative. The webinar will explain how a community can become a designated EPA Green Power Community, the recognition benefits of doing so, and key elements of a successful green power community campaign. It will also highlight the success of the 2010-2011 Green Power Community Challenge and establish new goals for the 2011-2012 Challenge. Please check back soon for registration details.

Green Power Purchasing Options for the Healthcare Industry Webinar To be scheduled
GPP will co-host a webinar with Premier Healthcare Alliance exploring green power purchasing options for the healthcare sector. It will explain the basic structure of the voluntary renewable energy market and how green power purchasing intersects with the grid and electric utilities. Presenters will also discuss the human health and air quality benefits of green power and the various purchasing options available to healthcare organizations. Several hospitals will share their experiences procuring green power and explain the benefits of using different procurement methods. Please check back soon for registration details.

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NREL Report on Consumer Attitudes toward Renewable Energy

Consumer Attitudes about Renewable Energy: Trends and Regional Differences (PDF) cover image.

In April 2011, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a report entitled Consumer Attitudes about Renewable Energy: Trends and Regional Differences (PDF) (28 pp., 478K, About PDF).

It explores consumer awareness, concerns, perceived benefits, knowledge of purchase options, and usage of renewable energy. Primarily focused on residential green power purchases and drawing on survey data from 2002 to 2010, the report offers interesting insight into public attitudes toward green power purchasing. Key takeaways include:

  • Eighty percent of consumers indicate that they care about renewable energy, but this has declined from a high of ninety percent in 2003 as concern over environmental issues has decreased.
  • Consumers are mostly aware of the environmental benefits of renewable energy, overlooking the economic, energy security, and health benefits of renewable energy.
  • Consumer awareness of purchasing options is low. Only 1 in 6 consumers is aware of their electric utility's green pricing program.
  • Consumers are increasingly price-sensitive to renewable energy programs.

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U.S. Department of Energy Adds New Resources to Green Power Network Website

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently added several helpful resources to its Green Power Network website. These include:

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GPP Events Register Now for Renewable Energy Markets Conference 2011!

Registration for Renewable Energy Markets (REM) 2011 Exit EPA Disclaimer is now open! Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn about the current trends, forecasts, issues and opportunities in the voluntary green power market. This year's conference will be held in San Francisco, California from November 15-18, 2011. For 16 years, REM has brought together the major players in the voluntary green power market to learn from each other and recognize best practices for promoting renewable energy. The conference is co-hosted by GPP and the U.S. Department of Energy and organized by the Center for Resource Solutions.

GPP will also be attending these upcoming conferences:

To meet with a GPP representative at one of these conferences, please stop by our booth or contact Blaine Collison (collison.blaine@epa.gov) or 202-343-9139.

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2011 EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership Meeting

The 2011 EPA Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Partnership National Meeting will take place on October 5, 2011, in Washington, DC. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the U.S. Clean Heat and Power Association (USCHPA) Annual Meeting. The CHP Partnership National Meeting will be a half day event on October 5 in the afternoon, followed by an evening reception organized by USCHPA. The USCHPA annual meeting will be held October 6-7. Attendees can register for one or both meetings, and the EPA meeting is free of charge.

Topics include:

  • 2011 CHP market update
  • Recent policy developments
  • Bridging the communications gap: raising the profile of CHP as a clean energy resource
  • Introduction of updated CHPP tools and resources
  • Case studies of award-winning projects

A block of rooms has been reserved at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel for October 4-6. For more information and to register, please visit the CHP Partnership website.

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Contacting EPA’s Green Power Partnership

Please feel free to contact the Green Power Partnership:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Green Power Partnership
Fax: 202-343-2208
Web site: www.epa.gov/greenpower

Program Director – Blaine Collison (collison.blaine@epamail.epa.gov) or 202-343-9139

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