Green Power Partnership Program Updates Issue 39
Issue 39, March 31, 2016
- Reminder—Green Power Leadership Awards Application Period Now Open!
- Save the Date for the 2016 Renewable Energy Markets Conference!
- Green Power Partnership Website Gets a Makeover
- April Updates for Top Partner Rankings and Challenges
- Interactive Solar Deployment Workshops at the Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference
- Community Solar Webinar Summary
- Upcoming Project Matching Initiative
- Partner Spotlight—METRO Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
- Climate Leadership Awards Recap
- LinkedIn Reminder
Reminder—Green Power Leadership Awards Application Period Now Open!
Is your organization leading the way and helping advance the green power market? The annual Green Power Leadership Awards are competitive awards that recognize outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. EPA’s Green Power Leadership Awards recognize the leading actions of organizations, programs, and individuals that significantly advance the development of green power sources.
EPA’s Green Power Leadership Awards--Five Categories:
- Excellence in Green Power Use
- Green Power Partner of the Year
- Sustained Excellence in Green Power
- Direct Project Engagement
- Green Power Community of the Year
EPA co-sponsors the Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). For more information about CRS’ Market Development Award categories, visit resource-solutions.org/programs/gpla/. For more details about the EPA and CRS awards, review the presentation from our recent webinar about the awards process.
Visit the awards section of the Green Power Partnership website to apply for an award or to nominate an organization other than your own. The application period closes on April 18, 2016.
Save the Date for the 2016 Renewable Energy Markets Conference!
The Green Power Leadership Awards are presented at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference. This year’s conference will take place in San Francisco, California, October 16-18, 2016. The Green Power Leadership Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, October 17, 2016. Learn more about the Renewable Energy Markets Conference, and sign up for updates.
Green Power Partnership Website Gets a Makeover
Excitement is in the air! GPP just launched an easy-to-navigate, redesigned website. In addition to being more user-friendly, the site incorporates updated information and responsive design, which means it can be used across different devices (mobile, tablet, desktop) more easily.
You’ll still find the home page at www.epa.gov/greenpower, but note that many of the other URLs have changed. You can find some of GPP’s key resources at the following URLs:
- Partner List
- Green Power Leadership Awards
- Top Partner Rankings
- Program Initiatives (including the On-Site Renewables Challenge and College and University Challenge)
- Webinars and Events
- Contact Us
We encourage you to check out the new site! If you have any questions or comments, or need help finding a Web page, please don't hesitate to contact us.
April Updates for Top Partner Rankings and Challenges
On April 25, GPP will publish updates to the program's On-Site Renewables Challenge, Top Partner Rankings, and Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings. Please submit any data updates by April 5 and be sure to check out the updated lists when they are posted in late April.
Top Partner Rankings
The Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power use of leading Green Power Partners within the United States and across individual industry sectors, including Colleges & Universities, Retail, Tech & Telecom, and Local Government.
Check out the current Top Partner Rankings as of January 2016.
On-Site Renewables Challenge
The Green Power Partnership launched the Challenge in support of President Obama's Climate Action Plan. The Challenge has a goal of doubling the use of on-site green power by Green Power Partners by the end of the decade, and several Partners have already made commitments to increase the deployment of on-site renewable energy systems by 2020. Take a look at the current Partner On-Site Renewables Commitments.
Is your organization interested in supporting the Challenge and making an on-site renewables commitment? Submit an On-site Renewables Commitment Agreement today!
Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings
Green Power Communities (GPCs) are towns, villages, cities, counties, or tribal governments in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively use green power. GPCs are ranked by total annual green power usage, as well as by the percentage of green power used in the community.
View the current Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings as of January 2016.
College & University Green Power Challenge
The April update marks the final update for the 2015-16 College & University Green Power Challenge. EPA will conclude the Green Power Challenge and recognize a Champion Green Power Conference as well as the largest single green power users within each participating conference as 2015-2016 EPA Green Power Challenge conference champions. Will the University of Pennsylvania continue its streak of eight consecutive wins? Will the Big 10 repeat its win from 2014-15? Check out the updated list on April 25 to find out!
Take a look at the latest updates from January 2016.
Interactive Solar Deployment Workshops at the Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference
On April 5, GPP will present at the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference in Baltimore, MD. In coordination with NREL and DOE, GPP will host three solar deployment workshop sessions focused on the higher education sector, with emphasis on policy, financing, and contractual barriers to solar projects. GPP will also seek feedback from participants on the types of resources that would be most helpful to overcome the obstacles discussed. We hope to see you there!
Community Solar Webinar Summary
On March 9, GPP held a webinar examining the community solar model, also known as shared solar and community solar gardens. Community solar is an emerging model allowing customers to buy, lease, or subscribe to a portion of a shared solar system that is located away from their home or business.
The webinar featured in-depth case studies of two community solar programs: Pacific Gas & Electric's new Solar Choice program and Boardman Hill Solar Farm, which is a community-owned solar array in Vermont. NREL provided an overview of the growth and trends of community solar in the United States and address contractual/financial considerations for these types of projects. The webinar reviewed:
- The emergence of community solar
- The various models, including utility sponsored, special purpose entity, and nonprofit
- Solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) and solar claims
The presentations are posted on the GPP website, and those interested may contact GPP to request the video recording.
Upcoming Project Matching Initiative
The Green Power Partnership's Project Matching initiative works to connect green power users with new, not-yet-built renewable energy projects that may align with their energy, environmental, and financial objectives.
This initiative's goal is to spur the development of new renewable generation by facilitating the engagement of green power users with renewable energy projects in development, through the signing of long-term off-take agreements (e.g., PPAs), direct investment positions, or through other involvement.
Toward the achievement of this goal, GPP hosts intermittent webinars that feature five to eight short project presentations from renewable energy developers and a Q&A session. Selected developers will present project details, business models, and project engagement opportunities for Green Power Partners and other interested organizations. Following each webinar, attendees can indicate if they wish to receive additional information on selected developer presentations. Project matching webinars were hosted in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015. GPP is planning another project matching webinar, likely to be held in late May, 2016. In the coming weeks, EPA will solicit proposals to be included in this webinar, but for now, visit our project matching Web page.
Partner Spotlight—METRO Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
Miguel Zavala, Energy Manager for METRO Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, answers some questions about the organization's involvement with GPP.
Q. Why did your organization decide to use green power? What do you see as the benefits of using green power and what role does it play in your company's broader business and environmental strategy?
A. As the agency expands, the challenge to reduce energy consumption increases. In order to offset our energy footprint, METRO decided to use green power. METRO uses large amounts of energy to operate and we therefore take energy conservation seriously. We are always looking for ways to improve our commitment to environmental stewardship.
Q. Is your organization currently striving to achieve a green power goal and is there a timeframe? What steps are being taken to reach it?
A. Although there are no specific goals for green power, METRO's core values support ongoing improvements to better serve the community, whether it's through new bus routes and a new fleet of low-emission buses, or procuring green power to help improve air quality.
Q. What are two or three lessons you've learned in making the switch to green power or in increasing your green power use?
A. It's always important to get informed. Green power can be difficult to track. We recommend purchasing Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) through a reputable energy provider. RECs are purchased as a separate commodity from the standard electricity contract and the buyer has the ability to purchase additional RECs to increase green power percentages throughout the life of the contract.
Q. What advice would you give to other organizations interested in using green power, and is there anything you would do differently? What barriers did you encounter when switching to green power?
A. Green power is a reliable source of energy and can be purchased through competitive retailers at very reasonable prices. We did not encounter any barriers when switching to green power. Power is power--the end user can't differentiate between green or not, but the impact to our environment is huge.
Climate Leadership Awards Recap
On March 9th, EPA presented its 2016 Climate Leadership Awards, which honor exemplary efforts to address climate change and the outstanding action taken by the nation's corporate, organizational, and individual leaders. Eight of this year's 17 Climate Leadership Award winners are Green Power Partners!
Organizational Leadership Award
- Mars, Incorporated
- Microsoft Corporation
Supply Chain Leadership Award
- Cisco Systems
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award)
- Best Buy Co., Inc.
- Pitney Bowes
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- IBM
- MetLife, Inc.
Read about the awardee accomplishments at /climateleadership/2016-climate-leadership-award-winners.
The awards ceremony took place during the fifth annual Climate Leadership Conference, which convened in Seattle from March 8-10. The Conference is hosted by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry—with U.S. EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership as the headline sponsor.
LinkedIn Reminder
If you're on LinkedIn, consider joining and participating in GPP's LinkedIn Group. By joining, you can get the latest information on the Green Power Partnership, as well as learn more about the green power market. Sign up today!
