Intel, Starbucks, and Kohls Purchase Green Power

Intel Corporation tops the list as EPA's Green Power Partnership’s largest single purchaser of green power.  Green power is defined as being generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydropower.  

Intel received a 2010 EPA Green Power Leadership Award for their excellent record of green power purchasing. Intel uses more than 1.4 billion kWh annually, equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 125,000 average American homes.

Here is a helpful Kilowatt Hour Translator -- you can calculate and convert kilowatt hours into more meaningful metrics, such as a number of passenger vehicles, number of homes, and so on.

Other honorable companies were Kohl’s Department Stores, who came in second this quarter in purchasing green power; Kohl's was also recognized as a 2010 Green Power Partner of the Year.  Whole Foods Market natural and organic grocery - no surprise - who also received the 2010 EPA Green Power Partner of the Year Awards - came in third.

Reaching the top five for the first time: Starbucks (came in 4th) more than doubled its annual green power purchase to more than 573 million kWh of green power; that is equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 50,000 average American homes annually.

Photo courtesy Nature's Reflections

Also in the top ten largest purchasers of green power:

1. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which increased its green power purchase to 500 million kWh of green power annually
2. the City of Houston
3. Dell Inc. 
4. Johnson & Johnson
5. the U.S. Air Force
6. the City of Dallas