Intel Becomes Largest Purchaser Of Green Power In U.S.

As part of its 'Green Power' initiative to reduce its impact on the environment, Intel Corporation said it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates. The purchase makes Intel the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It also puts Intel in the top spot of the EPA's Fortune 500 Green Power Partners, a program that encourages purchasing energy alternatives in order to reduce the impact of conventional electricity use. Intel hopes the record-setting purchase will help stimulate the market for green power, which should lead to additional generating capacity and lower costs. The EPA estimates that Intel's purchase saves the equivalent of powering more than 130,000 average American homes annually. "By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, Intel is proving you don’t need to wait for a signal in order to go green," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said in a statement. Intel will acquire the energy through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC's), which are the "currency" of the renewable energy market. Its portfolio will include wind, solar, small hydro-electric and biomass sources. It will be managed by Sterling Planet, a national supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions. "Our renewable purchase is just one part of a multi-faceted approach to protect the environment, and one that we hope spurs additional development and demand for renewable energy," Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini said in a statement. Otellini is also a member of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a global group of leaders working to achieve an effective global climate treaty at next year’s UN Environmental Summit in Copenhagen.