The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership with 600 partner organizations, including 13 companies, agencies and schools in Pennsylvania, are purchasing more than 3 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) of green power annually, enough to power 300,000 American homes each year.

This EPA voluntary program standardizes green power procurement as part of best practice environmental management. Partners in the program pledge to switch to green power for a specified minimum percentage of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition.

Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable, renewable resources such as mainstream the purchasing of green power electricity generated by renewable energy sources including solar, wind, water (hydro), geothermal, biomass (combustion of organic materials) and biogas (combustion of naturally-produced methane). Green power currently accounts for just 2 percent of America's electricity supply, but voluntary purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating the development of new renewable energy sources.

The voluntary green power market currently supports over 2,200 megawatts of new renewable generating capacity.

The Green Power Partnership has grown dramatically since it was launched with 21 Founding Partners in 2001. The 3 billion KWh purchased by the partnership has doubled in the past 15 months and grew 10-fold over the past four years.

Green Power Partners in Pennsylvania include: Eastern University, Independence Mall Philadelphia, Juniata College, U.S. Mint – Philadelphia, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, Sun & Earth, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Meyer Associates and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit EPA's Green Power Partnership webpage and for a more on individual partner commitments, visit the Green Power Partners page.

10/28/2005