EPA says its 2006 Top 25 green power purchasers are buying enough energy to power more than 300,000 homes a year, which is also comparable to removing the emissions of nearly 400,000 cars from the road annually.

The U.S. Air Force again leads the green power Top 25 list, purchasing more than 1 million MWh annually for Air Force bases across the country. The Air Force has held the No. 1 spot since the Top 25 list started in September 2004. Whole Foods Market surpassed both Safeway Inc. and Johnson & Johnson to lead all corporate purchasers after increasing its purchase to more than 450 thousand MWh annually of renewable energy. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) follow the U.S. Air Force in purchase size for government institutions in the Top 25.

Green power is electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact biomass and hydro resources. Green power accounts for about 2 percent of America's electricity supply, but voluntary purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating renewable energy development.

The complete list of Top 25 EPA Green Power Partners is as follows, listed in order of purchase size:

1. U.S. Air Force

2. Whole Foods Market

3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

4. Johnson & Johnson

5. U.S. Department of Energy

6. Starbucks

7. The World Bank

8. Safeway Inc.

9. U.S. General Services Administration (Region 2)

10. HSBC North America

11. City of San Diego, Calif.

12. New Jersey Consolidated Energy Savings Program

13. Advanced Micro Devices/Austin, Texas Facilities

14. WhiteWave Foods

15. Staples

16. Austin (Texas) Independent School District

17. Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.

18. The Tower Companies

19. FedEx Kinko's

20. U.S. Army/Fort Carson

21. University of Pennsylvania

22. Montgomery County, Md.

23. Hyatt Regency/Reunion & DFW Airport Hotels

24. Western Washington University

25. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary EPA program that seeks to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. Partners in the program switch to green power for a portion of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition. The Green Power Partnership currently has more than 600 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations, and universities.

For more information on green power, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Publication date: 02/13/2006