Green Power Partnership Program Updates Issue 41
Issue 41, June 20, 2016
- Partner Spotlight—Xanterra Parks & Resorts
- GPP Releases its Updated Green Power Partner Map
- Reminder: Use the Green Power Partner Mark to Promote Your Status
- Top Partner Rankings and Challenges — Updates Announced on July 25; Submit Your Data Updates by July 6!
- Several GPP Partners Sign on to RE100
- NREL’s Top 10 Ranking of Utility Green Power Programs
- World Resources Institute Releases New U.S. Map for Companies Looking to Buy Renewables
- 2017 Climate Leadership Awards Application Period and Webinar; Climate Leadership Conference Save the Date
- Upcoming Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) and NREL Webinar—Solar Energy on Campus
- GPP Webinar Summaries
- Renewable Energy Markets Conference— Register Now for Best Rates through June 21! Early Bird Registration Available through August 16
Partner Spotlight—Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Catherine Greener, Vice President of Sustainability at Xanterra Parks & Resorts, answers some questions about the organization's involvement with GPP.
Q. Why did your organization decide to use green power?
A. As the largest concessionaire to the National Park Service, we take our consumption of energy very seriously. We see the impacts of climate change first hand and do what we can to make a difference.
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. We recently retired our 2005-2015 goals of having 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 7 percent of our electricity from renewable sources. We exceeded both of those goals, and in 2015, we set what we are calling, "Our Next 10." Over the next 10 years we hope to use 5 percent less energy every year culminating with a 50 percent reduction in CO2 as compared to our 2014 baseline year.
Q. Do you have any upcoming projects or strategies that relate to your company's green power usage?
Crater Lake Solar TrailerA. We are starting with understanding all of our consumption – patterns, equipment, etc., as several of our key operations, such as Glacier National Park and Grand Canyon South Rim, have recently undergone energy audits. Projects we have taken on throughout our operations have included:
- LED lighting upgrades
- HVAC upgrades
- Kitchen efficiency programs
- Solar PV on new construction
- Solar PV trailer
Q. What advice would you give to other organizations interested in using green power, and is there anything you would do differently?
A. Focus on both supply and demand simultaneously. Keep reducing demand while looking for the greenest energy possible.
GPP Releases its Updated Green Power Partner Map
EPA's Green Power Partner Map shows the location and green power information of its more than 1,400 Green Power Partners. Click on individual pins to find out more information about Partners and their green power use.
Help us add more pins to the map! Start using green power and join the Green Power Partnership.
Reminder: Use the Green Power Partner Mark to Promote Your Status
Are you a Green Power Partner? Don't forget to use the Green Power Partner Mark on your website, in social media, on annual reports, and in other materials to promote your status! The Green Power Partner mark reinforces your environmental leadership and your commitment to the use of renewable energy. Learn more about the EPA Green Power Partner Mark, as well as the Guidelines for Proper Use. Check out the following example of Kohl's Department Stores using the Green Power Partner Mark:
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about using the Partner Mark.
Top Partner Rankings and Challenges — Updates Announced on July 25; Submit Your Data Updates by July 6!
On July 25, GPP will publish updates to the program's Top Partner Rankings, On-Site Renewables Challenge, and Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings. Please be sure to submit any data updates to your account manager by July 6, and visit the website on the 25th to learn what's new! Contact us if you have questions.
On-Site Renewables Challenge
The Green Power Partnership launched the On-Site Renewables 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. 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!
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 April 2016.
Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings
Green Power Communities 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.
Check out the current Green Power Community (GPC) Rankings as of April 2016.
Several Green Power Partners Sign on to RE100
RE100 is a collaborative, global initiative of influential businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity, working to massively increase corporate demand for renewable energy. EPA recognizes that nearly half of the RE100 signatory companies are also Green Power Partners, including:
- AstraZeneca MedImmune
- Autodesk, Inc.
- Biogen
- Bloomberg LP
- BMW (Greer, SC Facilities)
- Equinix, Inc.
- Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
- Google Inc.
- H&M
- IKEA
- Interface, Inc.
- Johnson & Johnson (Four CA Facilities)
- Mars, Incorporated
- Microsoft Corporation
- Pearson
- Salesforce.com
- SAP America
- Starbucks
- Steelcase Inc.
- Swiss Re
- TD Bank
- Unilever
- Voya Financial
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
- Workday
Take a look at our Partner List to learn more about their green power use.
NREL’s Top 10 Ranking of Utility Green Power Programs
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released its annual assessment of leading utility green power programs. Using information provided by utilities, NREL developed a "Top 10" ranking of utility green power programs for 2015 in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants; total number of customer participants; participation rate; and sales rate.
Ranked by annual renewable energy sales, Portland General Electric remained in the top spot by selling more than 1.3 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy through its voluntary green power program. Indianapolis Power & Light Co and Silicon Valley Power were new to the top renewable energy sales with 182,496 (9th) and 179,621 (10th) MWh, respectively. Green power sales of the top 10 utility programs exceeded 5 million MWh in 2015, up from 4.68 million MWh in 2014.
Portland General Electric's Green Source program achieved the highest participation rate (14.65 percent of eligible customers), followed by Farmers Electric Cooperative – Kalona (Iowa) (11.93 percent), and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (11.75 percent). Alameda Municipal Power and Stoughton Utilities were new to the top participation rate list with 6.44 percent (8th) and 5.14 percent (10th). Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp, and Xcel Energy remained in the top three in terms of total number of participants. Total green power program participants in the top 10 programs totaled 543,382, increasing from 526,733 in 2014. National Grid and We Energies were new to the top participants list with 16,276 (9th) and 15,595 (10th) customers, respectively.
View the all of the lists here: http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/tables/topten.shtml
World Resources Institute (WRI) Releases New U.S. Map for Companies Looking to Buy Renewables
Recently, WRI released its Corporate Renewable Strategy Map that reveals where large energy buyers can access the renewable energy they want at the scale they need through their utility. The interactive tool tracks options in different states, and highlights green tariff programs and other utility energy products that allow customers to meet their clean energy goals and lower electricity costs.
Learn more about the map and how it can help corporate buyers that are making renewable energy procurement decisions.
2017 Climate Leadership Awards Application Period and Webinar; Climate Leadership Conference Save the Date
The 2017 Climate Leadership Awards application period will open on June 22, 2016! Be sure to attend the webinar on June 21 (description below) to learn about navigating the application process. The Awards will be held during the sixth annual Climate Leadership Conference, scheduled for March 1-3, 2017 in Chicago. Save the date!
Center for Corporate Climate Leadership Webinar—Learn What's New for the 2017 Climate Leadership Awards
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
2:00 PM-3:30 PM ET
Register for this webinar
In this informative webinar, organizers will discuss what's new this year and how your organization can be a competitive applicant for this prestigious recognition program. EPA and its NGO partners — The Climate Registry and Center for Climate and Energy Solutions — will provide critical information related to eligibility, evaluation criteria, and application content for each of the award categories, as well as answer questions.
Presenters:
- Chelsea Hasenauer, Program Associate, Technical Services, The Climate Registry
- Tim Juliani, Senior Director, Business Strategy & Partnerships, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
- Melissa Klein, Communications Lead, Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, U.S. EPA
Climate Leadership Award recipients are recognized for demonstrating exemplary leadership in response to climate change. To view past recipients, please visit /climateleadership/climate-leadership-awards
Upcoming Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) and NREL Webinar—Solar Energy on Campus
Friday, July 15, 2016
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Register for this webinar
As universities and colleges nationwide green their electricity with solar through onsite generation, power purchase agreements (PPAs), and renewable energy certificate (REC) purchases, these institutions must be clear and accurate in their claims to avoid reputational and legal risk. Understanding the implications of various purchasing options is central to ensuring that desired solar energy claims will be supported by your purchase. Join representatives from CRS and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in a free webinar to discuss:
- The role of RECs in renewable energy claims
- Acceptable language for making accurate claims
- The advantages and risks of solar purchasing options including onsite generation, PPAs, and REC purchases
- Specific approved claims for each solar purchasing option
- Decoding environmental attribute ownership within solar PPAs
- REC arbitrage done right
- Additional considerations, including state incentives, operating within cap-and-trade programs, and state laws
This webinar is aimed at sustainability professionals in higher education, including energy and sustainability managers.
Presenters:
- Maya Kelty, Green-e Associate, CRS
- Jenny Heeter, Senior Energy Analyst, NREL
GPP Webinar Summaries
Project Matching: Shovel-Ready Renewable Energy Projects
On May 25, GPP hosted an informational webinar for attendees to learn about new, yet-to-be-built renewable energy projects that may align with their organization's energy, environmental, and financial objectives, as well as how EPA Partner organizations can engage in the development of these projects.
The webinar featured six short project presentations from renewable energy developers and a Q&A session. Developers discussed project details, business models, and project engagement opportunities for Green Power Partners and other organizations that include power purchase agreements (PPA), renewable energy certificate (REC) procurements, financial investment, and equity ownership opportunities.
While all projects presented on the webinar meets EPA's definition of eligible green power resources, a renewable energy project's inclusion in the webinar does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by EPA. All parties are required to do their own due diligence prior to any project engagement.
More information on this and past Project Matching webinars, along with project proposals received, is available here.
How Colleges and Universities Can Help Accelerate Community Deployment of Solar
Colleges and universities have long been leaders in implementing aggressive and innovative carbon reduction and renewable energy procurement strategies. Increasingly, leading higher education institutions are looking beyond their campuses to explore ways of inciting the deployment and adoption of renewable energy. On June 15, this GPP webinar featured two case studies from the University of Utah and St. Olaf College examining how colleges and universities can engage with the surrounding community to accelerate solar deployment.
Review the presentations here.
Renewable Energy Markets 2016—Register Now for Best Rates through June 21! Early Bird Registration Available through August 16
For more than 20 years, Renewable Energy Markets (REM) has been the leading forum for the clean energy marketplace. Don't miss this year's conference, taking place October 16-18 in San Francisco, California. The Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented at the conference on Monday, October 17.
Conference registrants receive the "Best Rate" through June 21 and the "Early Bird" rate through August 16. Register now to receive the best pricing!
