Green Power Partnership
Nomination Process
EPA’s Green Power Leadership Awards recognize exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners and among green power suppliers. EPA recognizes eligible organizations and suppliers in the award categories listed below:
Supplier Awards
- Green Power Supplier of the Year: Recognizes green power suppliers (utilities, retail suppliers, REC marketers, renewable energy project developers) that are leaders in offering voluntary renewable energy to their customers.
- Innovative Green Power Program of the Year: Recognizes green power suppliers (utilities, retail suppliers, REC marketers, renewable energy project developers) that are leaders in designing and implementing innovative voluntary renewable energy offerings.
Award Nominations
The nomination period for the Supplier Awards will open on May 14, 2012. The nomination deadline is Monday, June 4, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern).
- Supplier Awards Nomination Form (DOC) (3 pp, 947K)
- Supplier Awards Data Summary Table (XLS) (83K)
All nominees must complete and submit both the nomination form and the data summary table.
Completed nominations should be emailed to GPLA@erg.com. Award winners will be announced in conjunction with the 2012 Renewable Energy Markets Conference, taking place September 23-25 in Washington, DC.
Eligibility Requirements
- The nominee must be either an electric utility, retail supplier, REC marketer, and/or renewable energy project developer that supplies renewable energy to residential or nonresidential consumers who make voluntary purchases of renewable energy;
- Note: Only renewable energy resources EPA defines as green power will be considered. Review the Partnership Requirements (PDF) (19 pp, 630K) for more information.
- Only nominations showing proof that programs and companies directly support voluntary green power markets will be considered. Power used to comply with a renewable energy mandate, such as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), does not qualify.
- Only green power suppliers that serve U.S. customers are eligible.
- Generation facilities must be located in the U.S.
- Finalists will need to pass an EPA compliance screen in order to be selected.
Evaluation Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Leadership and innovation in the voluntary renewable energy marketplace, including impact on public awareness
- Benefits provided to program participants
- Green Power Data:
- Total annual renewable energy sales
- Rate of renewable energy sales as percent of retail sales
- Customer participation rates
Judging Process
An EPA evaluation panel will review and evaluate the nominations. Nominations must be accurate and complete. EPA will notify award winners and nominees over the summer.
Purchaser Awards
- Green Power Partner of the Year: Recognizes Partners who distinguish themselves through their purchase, leadership, overall strategy, and impact on the green power market.
- Green Power Community of the Year: Recognizes EPA Green Power Communities that distinguish themselves through their green power usage, leadership, citizen engagement, renewable energy strategy, and impact on the green power market.
- On-site Generation: Recognizes Partners who distinguish themselves using on-site renewable energy applications, including, but not limited to, solar photovoltaic (PV) or wind energy projects.
- Green Power Purchasing: Recognizes Partners who distinguish themselves through purchases of green power from a utility green-pricing program, a competitive green marketer, or a renewable energy certificate (REC) supplier.
Award Nominations
The 2012 Green Power Leadership Awards nomination period is now closed. Award winners will be announced in conjunction with the 2012 Renewable Energy Markets Conference, taking place September 23-25 in Washington, DC.
Eligibility Requirements
- The nominee must be accepted as an EPA Green Power Partner by the time that the nomination materials are submitted. Review the Partnership Requirements and Agreement (PDF) (19 pp, 520K, About PDF).
- The nominee must complete its green power purchase before the nomination period closes. The green power purchase is considered complete on the contract start date. EPA will follow up to confirm each nominees green power usage.
- The nominator must consider a 12-consecutive-month period when submitting green power purchase size, baseload electricity use, percentages, and other quantifiable information.
Note: Partners are eligible for an award only if the Partner retires or retains ownership of the RECs associated with their purchase or on-site generation system. Partners selling RECs may replace them with a secondary green power purchase.
Note: Previous winners are eligible for awards in future years but will be judged based on their activities since the last award cycle.
Evaluation Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Green Power Usage Information:
- Total annual size of green power purchase (including qualifying on-site generation)
- Size and type of renewable energy installation
- Scope of green power commitment (facility, organization-wide)
- Green power purchase as a percent of annual baseload electricity use, given the Green Power Partnership’s required minimum purchase level
- Geographic location of renewable energy generation
- Communications efforts to promote green power usage both internally and externally (past, present, and future), as well as plans to promote the EPA Green Power Leadership Award, should the nominee be selected
- Organizational strategy for investing in green power (past, present, future)
- Leadership in using green power within a region or business sector
Judging Process
An EPA evaluation panel will review and evaluate the nominations. Nominations must be accurate and complete. EPA will notify award winners and nominees over the summer.
Additional Information
Awards Banquet
Each year, award winners are recognized at the Green Power Leadership Awards Banquet held in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Markets (REM) Conference. The 2012 REM Conference will be held September 23-25, 2012 in Washington, DC.
Questions?
To learn more about the awards and the conference, visit the 2011 Green Power Leadership Awards Web page and the Renewable Energy Markets Conference website. 