Green Power Partnership
Purchase Requirements
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To qualify for the Green Power Partnership, potential Partner organizations must meet or exceed a minimum percentage of green power use (see Table 1) that corresponds to the organization’s purchased electricity use for a chosen purchase scope. Green power use must also meet eligible resource, vintage, and “new” renewables requirements.
| Table 1. Minimum Purchase Requirements | |
|---|---|
| Your Organization’s Baseload | Minimum Purchase Requirements1 |
| If your annual electricity use in Kilowatt-hours is … | You must, at a minimum, use this much green power: |
| ≥ 100,000,001 kWh | 3% of your use |
| 10,000,001-100,000,000 kWh | 5% of your use |
| 1,000,001 - 10,000,000 kWh | 10% of your use |
| ≤ 1,000,000 kWh | 20% of your use |
1. The minimum purchase in kilowatt-hours (kWh) must be greater than the highest possible requirement in kilowatt-hours for the next lower benchmark level. For example, an organization with a baseload electricity use of 100,000,500 kWh (3 percent benchmark level) would be required to buy 5,000,000 kWh a year minimum, which equals the largest possible minimum purchase requirement for the 5 percent benchmark category.
Additional Minimum Purchase Requirements
- Partners must acquire green power generated from eligible renewable resources, which include solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and eligible low impact hydroelectric sources.
- Partner purchases must be voluntary and incremental to the renewable electricity included in the standard electricity service.
- Minimum Partner purchase requirements must be entirely met with green power from “new” renewable facilities (i.e., installed within the last 15 years).
- Partners can meet their commitment with any combination of green power products (i.e., green power, renewable energy certificates [RECs], or on-site generation).
- Green power must be sourced from eligible U.S.-based generation facilities.
- Only purchases applied to U.S.-based operations are eligible.
For additional information, please refer to the Partnership Requirements (PDF) (19 pp, 520K, About PDF).
Green Power Leadership Club (GPLC) Purchase Requirements
The Green Power Leadership Club is open to organization-wide buyers (U.S. operations). Leadership Club purchases must also meet eligible resource, vintage, and “new” renewables requirements.
| Table 2. Minimum GPLC Purchase Requirements | |
|---|---|
| If your annual electricity use in kilowatt-hours is . . . | Green Power Leadership Club Purchase Requirements1,2,3 |
| ≥ 100,000,001 kWh | 30% of your use |
| 10,000,001-100,000,000 kWh | 50% of your use |
| 1,000,001 - 10,000,000 kWh | 100% of your use |
| ≤ 1,000,000 kWh | Not Applicable |
1. Partners with an annual electricity use of less than 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year are not eligible for the GPLC. EPA recognizes separately Partners that fall in this size category and buy 100 percent green power.
2. Partners must meet the minimum GPLC purchase requirement entirely with “new” renewables.
3. The minimum purchase for the GPLC in kilowatt-hours (kWh) must be greater than the highest possible requirement in kilowatt-hours for the next lower benchmark level. For example, an organization with a baseload electricity use of 100,000,500 kWh (30 percent benchmark level) would be required to buy 50,000,000 kWh a year minimum, which equals the largest possible minimum purchase requirement for the 50 percent benchmark category.
Additional GPLC Purchase Requirements
- Partners making a purchase for a facility are not eligible for the Green Power Leadership Club.
- The minimum purchase requirement for Green Power Leadership Club members must be met with 100 percent "new" renewables.
- Partners with organization-wide electricity use of less than 1,000,000 kWh are not eligible for the Green Power Leadership Club—organizations in this electricity use category that purchase 100 percent green power are recognized separately.
- There is no additional paperwork in meeting Green Power Leadership Club requirements.
- Green power must be sourced from eligible U.S.-based generation facilities.
- Purchases must be applied to U.S.-based operations only.