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Renewable Energy
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Increasing the use of renewable energy is one of the most effective ways to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EPA is working with many local partners in the Pacific Southwest Region to promote and recognize efforts to switch to renewables through its Green Power Partnership program.
This page provides information about a number of EPA programs that can assist you with reducing your greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy.
Construction on Solar Power System Underway at Wastewater Treatment Plant
Construction on a 1.1-megawatt solar power system for the West Riverside Wastewater Treatment Plant, a joint powers authority administered by Western Municipal Water District, began this week in Norco. Read more » 
On this page:
- Ag STAR Use biogas from animal feed operations as a source of power.
- Green Power Partnership Buy renewable energy.
- Nation's Largest Photovoltaic Array at Nellis Learn how Nellis Air Force was able to finance the largest solar array in the nation.
- Additional Resources Links to resources on wind, solar, geothermal and other technologies.
AgSTAR
The AgSTAR Program is a voluntary effort jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program encourages the use of methane recovery (biogas) technologies at the confined animal feeding operations that manage manure as liquids or slurries. These technologies reduce methane emissions while achieving other environmental benefits.
Success: Western United Dairymen use “cow power” for trucking fuel
A dairy farm in California is one of the first to explore using methane from cow manure to power the trucks they use to transport their dairy products. EPA West Coast Collaborative supported this project by granting the Western United Resource Development group $400,000 to convert dairy lagoon waste into natural gas for their delivery trucks. So far, they have converted one truck over to cow power and have plans to convert their whole fleet.
Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources. Partnering with EPA can help your organization lower the transaction costs of buying green power, reduce its carbon footprint, and communicate its leadership to key stakeholders. Green power is electricity produced from a subset of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Buying green power is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your organization’s environmental performance. This partnership currently has more than 1000 partner organizations who voluntarily purchase billions of kilowatt hours of green power annually.
Recent Green Power Partnership Award Winners
EPA's Green Power Challenge recognizes leaders in green power purchasing in several categories, including schools and universities, corporations, and others.
waiting for permission from Intel to use this photo
- Intel Corporation
For the second year in a row, Intel Corporation, the world’s largest semiconductor company, is the nation’s largest single voluntary purchaser of green power with purchases of more than 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power per year. Intel is currently meeting nearly 50% of the organization’s purchased electricity with their current renewables purchasing. This is equivalent to the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity use of nearly 130,000 average American homes.
EPA’s Top Partner List » - UC Santa Cruz
In 2008, the University of California, Santa Cruz, (UCSC) beat its category rivals by purchasing 57 million kWh of green power, representing 100% of the school’s annual electricity usage. UCSC was ranked fourth in the national competition for total green power purchased by a college or university and ranked first in its category: the Association of Division III Independents. UCSC's purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Sterling Planet has the equivalent impact of reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 7,000 passenger cars annually.
More on the College & University Green Power Challenge » - Mauna Lani Resort
An EPA 2004 Green Power Leadership Award winner, the Mauna Lani Resort, operates multiple photovoltaic installations totaling 620 kW, including three rooftop systems on the hotel, a rooftop system on the golf course, 160 golf carts, and a 2.5 acre ground-mounted tracking system at the resort's well-water pumping facility. The hotel's PV installation provides power to operate all six floors during peak solar production. More than 50% of the electricity required by the resort's golf operation is provided by solar power. To publicize its use of solar energy, the resort produced informative case studies and fact sheets, issued press releases and media advisories, invited key policymakers and other officials to the dedication, created marketing collateral such as banners, T-shirts, and press kits, and even mounted a webcam near the solar array. Mauna Lani Resort operates multiple PV installations totaling 620 kW. Mauna Lani partners with its PV supplier in spreading the message about solar power. Mauna Lani’s solar array will have a life of about 25 years. We laud Mauna Lani for its decision to make use of one of Hawaii’s greatest renewable resources.
Nation's Largest Photovoltaic Array at Nellis
Normally, military bases don’t attract much publicity, and their commanders try to keep it that way. But over the past year, reporters have been beating a track to Southern Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base, to see Nellis’ sparkling new 140-acre photovoltaic electric power generating facility – the nation’s largest photovoltaic array.
Seventy-two thousands solar panels track the desert sun each day to generate up to 14 megawatts of power – enough to provide 20-30% of the facility's electric power. The solar panels avoid the annual generation of 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
This $100 million system was built with minimal investment by the Air Force. MMA Renewable Ventures LLC financed and operates the solar power plant, selling electricity to Nellis Air Force Base at a guaranteed fixed rate for the next 20 years. Nevada Power supported the project by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits generated by the solar array.
Nellis is working in other areas to green the base also, and has achieved a 16% reduction in energy use from lighting retrofits, improved air conditioning equipment and “cool roofs.” – white ceramic paint on rooftops to reduce heat absorption, which cuts air conditioning power use. Base managers aim to reduce water use by 11%, or 100 million gallons of water annually, as a result of a $2.8 million xeriscaping project. And they’ve gotten a 50% (20-ton) reduction in hazardous waste from a variety of projects, including recycling fuel from spill pads and encouraging the reuse of hazardous materials. If this project was not green enough already, a portion of the array covers a historic landfill, with limited development potential.
Additional Resources
All links in this section exit EPA.
Solar
- Go Solar California!
- CA Solar Energy Industries Association
- American Solar Energy Society
- U.S. Department of Energy: Solar
- U.S. Department of Energy: Solar Water Heating
Wind
- California Wind Resources
- North America Windpower
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Wind
- American Wind Energy Association
- U.S. Department of Energy: Wind
Geothermal
- U.S. Department of Energy: Geothermal
- Geothermal Energy Association
- Geothermal Resources Council
- Geothermal Heat Pumps (EnergySTAR)
- NREL Geothermal
For more information on other renewable technologies like hydropower, fuel cells, and others:
- U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- National Renewable Enery Laboratory
- RE-Powering America's Lands: Siting Renewable Energy on
Current and Formerly Contaminated Land and Mine Sites
