Sitting atop the EPA’s "Top 25 Green Power Partners" is …
… the U.S. Air Force, the single largest purchaser of clean power.
The U.S. Air Force’s green power purchase of 321,000 MWh is the largest purchase in the Green Power Partnership and in the country. In fiscal year 2004, the U.S. Air Force purchased over 40 percent of the renewable power purchased by the federal government. It continues its commitment by pursuing many new projects and purchases to further expand its use of green power to benefit the environment and to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign energy. Leadership and oversight of the Air Force’s green power purchasing program comes from the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA), Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
Also rather surprising is number two, Johnson & Johnson.
Johnson & Johnson, a Green Power Partner of the Year in 2003 and a Green Power Leadership Award winner in 2002 and 2004, has committed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions seven percent below 1990 levels by 2010 in its quest to become a corporate leader in addressing the challenge of climate change. To achieve this goal, Johnson & Johnson is investing in green power as an alternative to fossil fuel energy. Johnson & Johnson’s green power use in 2004 equaled 18 percent of their worldwide electricity use and included the direct purchases of low-impact hydro and wind power, on-site solar PV, and the purchase of renewable energy certificates from wind power and biomass facilities. Johnson & Johnson believes that the investment in green power not only benefits the environment, but is also a good business decision because it provides the company with a reliable and stable supply of energy. The extraordinary size of the company’s green power purchase, along with its willingness to share its experiences, has made Johnson & Johnson a leader in green power procurement.
Like Nick says, no matter what you think about the military or big corporations, this kind of stuff is what creates economies of scale that end up yielding affordable prices for Joe and Jane Schmoe.
