EPA and CRS Administer Awards in the Following Categories

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	Center for Resource Solutions
Excellence in Green Power Use	Green Power Market Development
Green Power Partner of the Year	International Green Power Market Development
Sustained Excellence in Green Power	Leadership in Green Power Education
Direct Project Engagement	Green Power Leader of the Year
Green Power Community of the Year

EPA Partner Award Categories

• Excellence in Green Power Use Award: Recognizes Partners that distinguish themselves by using green power in amounts that exceed the minimum benchmark requirements, or where the partner can demonstrate a distinct market impact through innovation, communications and stakeholder engagement. Winners in this category perform better than what is minimally required and offer a compelling example to their sector peers.
• Green Power Partner of the Year Award: Recognizes Partners that distinguish themselves through their green power use, leadership, overall strategy, and impact on the green power market. Winners represent a beacon for other organizations to follow, represent best in class in terms of market impact, and have a compelling story that is both unique and replicable to a wider set of market participants. This category is the highest organizational honor in EPA's Green Power Leadership Awards and the activities are commensurate with this level of recognition.
• Sustained Excellence in Green Power Award: Recognizes continual leadership in advancing green power development. This award category recognizes a combination of both "sustained" green power use coupled with "excellence" in procurement size and diversity of supply. Award winners demonstrate a similar level of sustained excellence as it relates to communications and market engagement related to their use of green power: they have won at least three (3) previous Green Power Leadership Awards – including one "Direct Project Engagement" (previously known as On-site Generation) award and one "Partner of the Year" award. Award winners demonstrate excellence by using at least 100 percent green power for its organization-wide purchased electricity use. The Partner must also demonstrate sustained 100 percent green power use for no fewer than 3 years prior to its first award in this category. Organizations can only receive a Sustained Excellence award once every 3 years, over which time they must maintain continued sustained excellence activities.
• Direct Project Engagement Award: Recognizes Partners that distinguish themselves through direct project engagement with on- and off-site projects using a variety of financing structures to access renewable energy certificate (REC)-based green power. Eligible direct project engagements include on- and off-site self-generation and physical power purchase agreements (PPAs) as well as direct investments and synthetic/virtual PPAs with off-site projects. Eligible generation must come from new projects that were a result, in part, from the engagement of the award winner (Partner). EPA's intent, in part, is to recognize direct long-term commitments with eligible projects. Award winner's contractual relationship to the project shall be for no fewer than five (5) years. Self-generation shall be considered a 20-year contract term.
• Green Power Community of the Year Award: 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. Winners coordinate successful community campaigns to buy green power in amounts that exceed the minimum GPC requirements. Both the success of the GPC campaign as well as the leadership of the local government will be evaluated under this category.

Center for Resource Solutions Award Categories

• Green Power Market Development: Recognizes organizations and individuals building and growing the voluntary market for green power. This may include organizations using renewable energy, electricity suppliers and REC providers, policy advocates, leaders in project development, and others influential in driving green power. The award honors industry leaders that are innovators and champions of renewable energy and whose actions are supporting the accelerated development of green power markets.
• International Green Power Market Development: Recognizes organizations and individuals who are building markets or demonstrating leadership in green power procurement outside North America. This may include organizations using renewable energy, project developers, policy advocates, certificate providers, electricity suppliers, or others influential in developing and growing green power markets.
• Leadership in Green Power Education: Recognizes effective and unique programs and organizations focusing on green power education. This award honors work that spreads the word about the environmental benefits of green power, and efforts to boost public interest in renewable energy.
• Green Power Leader of the Year: Recognizes outstanding leadership by an individual who is leveraging his or her influence, power, position, or purchasing power to increase the prevalence of renewable energy. Evaluation criteria include: efforts and achievements of an individual, contributions to building the green power market, and dedication to and vision for renewable energy.

What does winning an EPA Green Power Leadership Award mean to an organization?

An EPA Green Power Leadership Award offers significant opportunities for recipients:

• Demonstrate your environmental leadership
  "Green power purchases are an effective and important way we can implement renewable energy sources as we work to reduce our carbon footprint. As an EPA Sustained Excellence Award winner, we have increased our purchases that are applied company-wide, achieving 100 percent green power in 2010, 2011 and 2012. We are pleased to have extended this commitment through 2015." - Ken Bonning, Senior Executive Vice President, Kohl's
• Become part of a prestigious group
  "Pearson is proud to receive this prestigious award from the US EPA for a second time. Green power is an important tool in helping combat climate change and we are honored to stand alongside the many US schools and universities that also choose clean sources of electricity as part of their sustainability strategies." - Rich Glicini, SVP Corporate Social Responsibility, Pearson
• Promote participation in the Green Power Partnership
  "We're thrilled to be part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership. It's an unprecedented opportunity for us to integrate this meaningful and long-lasting environmental initiative into our operations." - Brad Haeberle, Vice President and Sustainability Council Chair, Siemens Industry, Inc.'s Building Technologies Division
• Be featured at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference
  Award winners will be recognized at the industry's paramount annual gathering attended by leading renewable energy and green power industry stakeholders.
• Excellence in Green Power Use Award: Recognizes Partners that distinguish themselves by using green power in amounts that exceed the minimum benchmark requirements, or where the partner can demonstrate a distinct market impact through innovation, communications and stakeholder engagement. Winners in this category perform better than what is minimally required and offer a compelling example to their sector peers.

Green Power Leadership Award Application Process

The 2018 Green Power Leadership Awards application period closed on April 13. EPA will present the awards in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Markets Conference, which will be held October 9-11 in Houston, Texas.

EPA's Green Power Leadership Awards recognize exceptional achievement and leading actions of organizations, programs, and individuals that significantly advance the development of green power sources.

Learn more about the winners from 2017, or winners from previous years.

EPA and CRS Administer Awards in the Following Categories

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	Center for Resource Solutions
Excellence in Green Power Use	Green Power Market Development
Green Power Partner of the Year	International Green Power Market Development
Sustained Excellence in Green Power	Leadership in Green Power Education
Direct Project Engagement	Green Power Leader of the Year
Green Power Community of the Year

Please contact us if you would like information on eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria for the 2018 Green Power Leadership Awards.

Eligibility Requirements for the Partner Awards

• Applicants are either currently or will become an EPA Green Power Partner by April 13, 2018.
• Applicants will maintain their EPA Green Power Partner status through 2018.
• Only U.S.-based operations and facilities are eligible.
• Only eligible green power generated from U.S.-based renewable energy resources will be considered. Please review the Partnership Requirements for more information.
• Only green power purchases made and activities conducted since the applicant's last award are eligible. If the Applicant has never won an award, the history of green power procurement is eligible for consideration.
• Applicants must have completed a green power purchase or have an operational on-site green power generator by April 13, 2018. The green power purchase is considered complete when delivery is executed or commercial operation has commenced.
• Previous winners and applicants are eligible, but will be judged based on their activities since the last award cycle.
• Applicants will be evaluated on the green power use they have reported to the Green Power Partnership as of April 13, 2018.
• Please note: Eligibility will be verified during the review process, and finalists will need to pass an EPA compliance screen in order to be selected.

Things to Remember

• EPA considers eligible renewable energy sources to be solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydroelectric sources.
• Partners must retain the associated renewable energy certificates (RECs) for all purchases, particularly for on-site renewable energy systems.
• To be considered for GPP, any renewable energy use must be "incremental" and above and beyond the "standard mix" provided by utilities (i.e., come from the voluntary market and not the compliance market).

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Green Power Use Information:
  • Total annual size of green power procurement (including qualifying on-site generation)
  • Scope of green power commitment (facility, organization-wide)
  • Green power use as a percent of annual baseload electricity use, given the Green Power Partnership's required minimum purchase level
  • Contract duration (i.e., term of commitment)
  • Impact on new supply
  • If previous award winner, change in level of procurement since last award
• Innovation and creativity of green power procurement and impact on market
• Organizational strategy for investing in green power (past, present, future)
• Leadership in using green power within a region or business sector
• Communications efforts to promote green power usage both internally and externally, including media outreach and use of Green Power Partner mark (past, present, and future), as well as plans to promote the EPA Green Power Leadership Award, should the applicant be selected

Selection Process

An EPA evaluation panel reviews and evaluates all applications submitted by the deadline. Applications must be accurate and complete. EPA reviews all applicants to ensure that they are in good standing with EPA. Finalists will need to pass an EPA compliance screen in order to be selected. EPA will notify award winners and applicants in late summer.

Awards Ceremony

Each fall, award winners are recognized at the Green Power Leadership Awards Ceremony held during the Renewable Energy Markets (REM) Conference. This year's REM Conference will be held in Houston, Texas from October 9-11, 2018. Visit the Renewable Energy Markets Conference website Exit for more information.

Questions?

To learn more about the awards and the conference, visit the REM Conference web page and the Renewable Energy Markets Conference website Exit.

Green Power Leadership Award Winners

Green Power Leadership Award Winners

Excellence in Green Power Use

• Capital One
• Clif Bar & Company
• Equinix, Inc.
• Google Inc.
• Microsoft Corporation
• TOTO USA / Morrow, Georgia Facility
• University of California
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Green Power Partner of the Year

• City of Houston, Texas
• L'Oréal USA

Direct Project Engagement

• Amphitheater Public Schools
• Apple Inc.
• Intel Corporation
• Iron Mountain Information Management, LLC
• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Stanford University
• University of Missouri
• Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority

Green Power Community of the Year

• Bainbridge Island, Washington

Excellence in Green Power Use

Capital One

Capital One is a diversified bank that serves consumers, small businesses, and commercial clients. A Fortune 500® company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One serves customers primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Capital One's recent green power purchases achieve two commendable corporate goals: powering the company 100 percent with green power and reducing GHG emissions from its own operations and electricity purchases by 25 percent three years early. To achieve these goals, the company bought nearly 470 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of bundled utility green power and unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs). With this commitment, Capital One has become a green power leader in the financial services industry, driving the company towards achieving its long-term sustainability goals.

In addition to addressing the company's operational footprint, Capital One is implementing green renovations of existing properties and specifying green construction for new buildings.

Capital One became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2010.

Clif Bar & Company

Clif Bar & Company is a family-and employee-owned organic food company headquartered in Emeryville, California. Clif Bar states that it runs the company according to a five-aspiration business model that works to sustain the planet, communities, people, business, and brands.

Since 2003, Clif Bar has worked to maintain its goal of sourcing 100 percent green power for all its owned and operated facilities, which now includes its headquarters, a warehouse, Innovation Center, an office in Arkansas, and two large-scale bakeries in Idaho and Indiana. This goal is reached through a combination of on-site solar and the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs). Clif Bar has a 500 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar array at the company's Emeryville, California headquarters that generates, on average, more than 80 percent of the site's electricity needs. In 2016, Clif Bar procured nearly 16 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of RECs. After increasing its use of green power and purchasing offsets, Clif Bar's business operations have maintained net-zero GHG emissions since 2003.

In addition to addressing the company's operational footprint, Clif Bar has developed innovative programs to support green power for its supply chain and employees. To drive green power within its supply chain, Clif Bar launched a program called 50/50 by 2020 with a goal of 50 key supply chain facilities transitioning to 50 percent or more green power for the electricity used on Clif Bar's behalf by 2020. For employees, Clif Bar's Cool Home benefit provides financial support toward energy efficiency improvements and the purchase of home solar installations. To date, the company has helped support the installation of 25 home solar arrays and hundreds of home energy efficiency upgrades.

Clif Bar became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2003. The company won a Green Power Purchasing Award in 2003 and Green Power Partner of the Year award in 2004.

Equinix, Inc.

Equinix is an American multinational company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that enables global interconnection between organizations and their employees, customers, partners, data, and clouds. Equinix operates data centers in major U.S. cities and 44 markets across five continents.

In 2015, Equinix became the first interconnection and data center company to announce its intent to use 100 percent green power across its global footprint. That same year, Equinix signed two financial power purchase agreements (FPPAs) for wind power with a combined capacity of 225 megawatts (MW), which will supply enough renewable energy certificates (RECs) to cover 80 percent of Equinix's U.S. load (as of 2016). FPPAs provide an innovative solution for Equinix to procure renewables at scale for their dispersed operations, which are often located in landlord-controlled buildings or in regulated power markets that do not allow users to control electricity procurement. By signing FPPAs, Equinix helped bring new and incremental renewables to the green power market, which in turn helped ensure that local farmers and landowners also benefitted from the deployment of large-scale wind.

In 2016, 42 percent of Equinix's U.S. load was covered through the partial year of wind generation and the bridge RECs procured. This is an increase from 8 percent reported in 2015.

Equinix became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2015.

Google Inc.

Google is a multinational technology company based in Mountain View, California, that specializes in Internet-related services and products. Google states that its mission is to make the world's information universally accessible and useful, while minimizing the environmental impact of its services.

Google procures more than 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power for its operations, the majority of which is sourced through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with wind projects. In 2016, the company signed five additional long-term PPAs, bringing its total to 20 long-term PPAs amounting to 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar energy around the world. The company is on track to achieve its commitment to power all of its operations with green power in 2017. 

To date, Google's purchasing commitments will result in infrastructure investments of more than $3.5 billion globally, about two-thirds of that in the United States. These projects also generate tens of millions of dollars per year in revenue to local property owners, and tens of millions more to local and national governments in tax revenue.

Google became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2011 and won Partner of the Year awards in 2011 and 2014 and a Direct Project Engagement award in 2016.

Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that provides computing software, services, and devices. Microsoft has expressed its commitment to environmental sustainability through the implementation of an internal fee, which has enabled the company to maintain net-zero GHG emissions since 2012.

To expand its ongoing investment in building a cleaner, more responsible cloud, Microsoft procured more than 3.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power last year for its domestic operations, including the output from a 20 megawatt (MW) solar project in Virginia and wind projects across the United States. In 2016, Microsoft announced its largest wind energy purchase to date with the signing of power purchase agreements representing 237 MW to power a datacenter in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Those agreements brought Microsoft's total direct purchase of wind energy in the U.S. to more than 500 MW.

Microsoft became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2012 and won Partner of the Year awards in 2012, 2013, and 2015.

TOTO USA / Morrow, Georgia Facility

TOTO USA was founded in 1989 as a subsidiary of TOTO LTD in Japan, a manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, as well as commercial and luxury residential bathroom fixtures. TOTO USA stated its commitment to an environmental stewardship philosophy of protecting the global environment by conserving finite natural resources and energy and by searching for ways to use green power in manufacturing.

TOTO USA initially purchased 480,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power from Georgia Power for its Morrow, Georgia manufacturing facility in 2008. The company has since incrementally increased its green power use—first to 2.2 million kWh, then to 5.8 million kWh, and in 2016, to nearly 12 million kWh of green power, which is equal to 100 percent of the electricity used at its Morrow manufacturing facility. The TOTO USA / Morrow, GA Facility became the first large-volume participant in Georgia Power's Simple Solar Program to meet 100 percent of its use through the purchase of RECs from certified solar power.

TOTO became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2013.

University of California

The University of California (UC) is a state-wide system of learning facilities with more than 238,000 current students and more than 190,000 faculty and staff. More than 1.7 million alumni have reportedly been educated at one of its campuses. UC has pledged to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2025. Numerous large-scale investments in renewable electricity are key to reaching this goal.

UC entered into long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for two new California grid-connected solar energy projects. The first of two solar farms under these PPAs came online in the Fall of 2016, generating more than 47 million kWh for its partial year of production. These solar power plants located in California's Central Valley total 80 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity and represent the largest solar purchase ever made by a university in the United States. UC also purchases green power for its campuses through the direct access market in California. In total, UC uses more than 127 million kilowatt-hours of green power.

Additionally, as part of the UC system's efforts to reduce its system-wide GHG emissions footprint, each UC campus has installed on-site renewable generation, including biogas-fed fuel cells and solar PV systems. System-wide, the campuses are home to more than 36 megawatts (MW) of solar power installations that produce more than 52 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power.

The University of California became an EPA Green Power Partner at a facility-level for its Merced campus in 2013 and became a system-wide Partner in 2017.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is the state's flagship land grant university, with more than 28,000 students and 285 buildings.

As of 2016, UT became the largest college or university green power user in the Partnership with total purchase of more than 250 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, sourced from renewable energy certificates (RECs), the local utility's green power program, and a small amount of on-site solar. The combination of these green power resources accounts for more than 90 percent of its campus power needs.

UT's campus community drives the university to be a leading institution, especially in green technology. Students and the administration are committed to using green power, as demonstrated by the Student Initiative Environmental Fee. Created in 2005, the fee funds sustainability projects on campus including the purchase of RECs and the installation of solar arrays that generate 70,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. Every student pays into this fee and can propose new ways to make the campus more environmentally friendly. This fee has allowed UT to consistently expand its green power procurement efforts.

The University of Tennessee became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2005.

Green Power Partner of the Year

City of Houston, Texas

Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States.

In 2016, the city of Houston increased its purchase of wind renewable energy certificates (RECs) from 75 to 80 percent of the city's annual power use. Houston also entered into a physical power purchase agreement (PPA) that will supply the city with the output from 50 megawatts (MW) of solar power generated at a facility in Alpine, Texas. The 20-year PPA allows Houston to access renewable electricity without a capital outlay in exchange for a long-term contract at a competitive, fixed price with no price escalations or inflation adjustments. Houston's solar deal is expected to save consumers more than $1.9 million per year over the 20-year term. In addition to its purchase of green power, the city has on-site solar arrays that generate more than 125,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually at municipal buildings. Combined, these projects represent more than a billion kWh of green power and account for more than 89 percent of the city's municipal power needs. This makes Houston the largest municipal user of green power in the Green Power Partnership.

Houston became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2008 and won Green Power Purchasing awards in 2008 and 2014.

L'Oréal USA

L'Oréal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oréal Group, a worldwide beauty company. In addition to its corporate headquarters in New York City, L'Oréal USA has research, manufacturing, and distribution facilities across 14 other states. The company has committed to a global sustainability strategy, "Sharing Beauty With All," that drives the company to improve its environmental performance and increase its use of green power.

The company's commitment to green power began in 2011, with a solar array installation at its Piscataway, New Jersey, manufacturing facility. In 2016, L'Oréal USA joined the EPA Green Power Partnership, at which point the company was using 33 percent green power for its electricity needs. Since joining GPP, L'Oréal USA's manufacturing operation now uses 100 percent green power and has reduced its GHG emissions by 84 percent.

In 2017, a new 4,140-panel solar array at L'Oréal's Florence, Kentucky factory became the largest commercial solar installation in the state, with a capacity of 1.42 megawatts (MW). A second new solar array at the company's North Little Rock, Arkansas, plant brings L'Oréal's total number of solar energy installations to 16 across the United States.

In addition to its green power use, L'Oréal has pledged to reduce its GHG emissions, water consumption, and waste in absolute terms by 60 percent by 2020 (from a 2005 baseline).

L'Oréal USA became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2016.

Direct Project Engagement

Amphitheater Public Schools

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Amphitheater is a public school system for grades K-12.

In 2016, Amphitheater entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for installed solar across 24 school sites and support facilities, generating more than 16 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually and supplying more than 65 percent of the school district's electricity demand. The solar power system is owned and operated by Constellation; it therefore required no upfront capital from the school system and began delivering energy cost savings from day one. It is expected to result in $11 million to $23 million in energy cost savings over the term of the agreement, according to the district. The 25-year onsite PPA is the longest of its kind in Arizona and can serve as a model for other school districts considering their own green power projects. Amphitheater is currently the second largest K-12 school generating green power onsite within the EPA Green Power Partnership and the project helps demonstrate the viability of clean energy resources to students, faculty, and the entire Amphitheater community.

Amphitheater Public Schools placed the solar panels to create shade structures over student activity areas, protecting students from the Arizona sun. Where appropriate, the school designed covered parking structures and in some cases placed the panels on roofs. Since the project's completion, the school district has given tours to town council members and civic organizations to highlight the district's green power programs.

Amphitheater became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2016.

Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.

Apple first achieved 100 percent green power use for its entire U.S. operations in 2014 and has maintained that goal since. Apple uses nearly 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power for its domestic operations, which includes five operational data centers, 269 retail stores, and more than 140 corporate offices. The company is the largest user of on-site renewables in the Green Power Partnership generating more than 228 million kWh at its facilities—equivalent to the annual power needs of more than 21,000 average American homes for a year. Apple has built or contracted for 580 megawatts (MW) of solar PV and 200 MW of wind power to support its data centers and corporate offices in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina. It also has two micro-hydro projects in Oregon that harness the power of water flowing through local irrigation canals. 

Apple states that its energy program is guided by three principles: displace dirtier forms of energy; ensure green power is surplus to what would have otherwise occurred; and demonstrate accountability through, for example, tracking systems and certifications. Apple's tiered approach starts with reducing its energy use, before creating its own green power projects and rounding out with purchases of green power from local utility green energy programs or through direct renewable energy certificate (REC) purchases. When Apple purchases RECs, the company selects Green-e® certified RECs that are sourced from the same state where they will be applied to Apple's operations.

In addition, Apple is working with its supply chain partners domestically and around the world to reduce to zero its GHG emissions from its manufacturing and assembly operations, with suppliers already committed to building 500 megawatts of wind and solar.

Apple became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2003 and won an On-Site Generation award in 2013, Partner of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015, and a Sustained Excellence in Green Power award in 2016.

Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation is the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Since 2008, the company has been the largest purchaser of green power within the Green Power Partnership, and since 2013, has purchased 100 percent green power for its U.S. operations. In total, Intel has purchased more than 18 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power since 2008.

Intel uses more than 3.8 billion kWh of green power annually in the U.S. supplied by a portfolio of sources including on-site projects, utility programs, and Green-e® certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) sourced from a spectrum of technologies. In 2016, Intel added a 6.5 megawatt (MW) solar carport at its Folsom campus to its green portfolio. At the time it was installed, it was the largest carport system in the U.S. Intel states that it plans to continue to support and innovate green technology, including plans for additional utility-scale systems.

The company has also installed more than 70 on-site projects, which reduces Intel's grid-based electricity demand while using clean energy alternatives. Intel continues to pilot new technologies to improve its environmental performance, such as micro wind turbines at its Santa Clara headquarters. Intel has installed a portfolio of solutions using more than 14 different technology applications at more than a dozen states and countries.

Intel became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2008 and won Partner of the Year awards in 2008, 2009, and 2011; a Green Power Purchasing award in 2010; Sustained Excellence in Green Power awards in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015; and an Excellence in Green Power award in 2016.

Iron Mountain Information Management, LLC

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Iron Mountain provides information management services to more than 170,000 organizations in 37 countries.

As a new Green Power Partner in 2016, Iron Mountain fulfilled its commitment to the program by purchasing more than 8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power coupled with a 15-year financial power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of 26.6 megawatts (MW) from Ringer Hill Wind Farm. The PPA is expected to deliver 84 million kWh annually of wind power through 2032. Iron Mountain's offtake agreement allowed the project to be financed and built, thus enabling the development of new renewable generation on the grid in the Mid-Atlantic region, an area that has not seen as much wind development as some other regions of the country. Iron Mountain's combined green power use accounts for 40 percent of its power requirements.

Iron Mountain became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2016.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company. The corporation has more than 590 facilities in 50 states throughout the United States and business locations in more than 70 nations and territories.

In 2016, Lockheed Martin procured green power for 20 percent of its total U.S. operations' electricity needs, which included 253 million kWh of renewable energy certificates (RECs), 38 million kWh through an offsite power purchase agreement (PPA), 7 million kWh of on-site green power, and 2 million kWh of utility green power. Lockheed Martin currently has 11 operational on-site green power installations, including solar carports in Florida and additional solar installations in California, Colorado, and New Jersey. While prioritizing on-site green power installations, Lockheed has also entered a unique 17-year PPA with Duke Energy Renewables in which the solar RECs associated with the North Carolina project are monetized and replacement RECs are procured.

Optimizing the use of natural resources in business operations to improve energy management is an important sustainability strategy, according to Lockheed Martin. The corporation is reducing its energy use by building and operating more efficient buildings, constructing on-site renewable energy projects, and purchasing RECs.

Lockheed Martin became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2003 and won a Green Power Purchasing award in 2012.

Stanford University

Located in Stanford, California, Stanford University is one of the world's leading teaching and research universities.

As part of its comprehensive and long-range Energy and Climate Action plan, Stanford developed the cutting-edge energy supply system known as the Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project. SESI is a new central energy facility with district-level heat-recovery and 72 megawatts (MW) of solar PV, of on- and off-site solar PV installations. The 67 MW of SESI located offsite features single axis tracking technology. These systems generate more than 150 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar electricity and meet more than 50 percent of the university's electricity needs. As a result, the systems help lower Stanford's long-term costs, stabilize its operating budgets, and contribute to the reduction in the university's GHG emissions footprint.

Stanford University became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2017.

University of Missouri

Located in Columbia, Missouri, the University of Missouri (MU) was founded in 1839 as the first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River.

MU has declared a goal of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and is making strides toward reaching that goal through a combination of green power purchases, efficiency improvements, and energy conservation. Currently, the university is purchasing more than 90 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 36 percent of the university's campus electricity. The purchase combines on-site generation and an innovative wind power purchase agreement (PPA). Additionally, MU's energy conservation efforts have yielded an annual energy-cost avoidance of more than $9 million. The university campus is also home to a solar PV system, three solar thermal collection systems, and a 20-kilowatt wind turbine, which can be hydraulically lowered to offer students a hands-on learning experience.

MU prioritizes green power purchases when possible. The university, in collaboration with the city of Columbia's municipal utility, procures wind power sourced from Crystal Lake III Wind Farm in Iowa through a 20-year PPA. In 2016, wind power accounted for 63 percent of MU's purchased electricity.

The University of Missouri became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2014.

Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority

The Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA) is a resource recovery facility that provides services for a community of nearly 400,000 residents in the High Desert region of Southern California.

In 2016, VVWRA produced nearly 7.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) on-site representing 74 percent of its own electricity. VVWRA developed an innovative Biogas-to-Energy Program, which uses the biogas produced in its anaerobic digesters to power two 800 kilowatt (kW) generators. The generators produce clean power while meeting some of the nation's strictest air quality standards. The "Biogas-to-Energy" program was entirely funded through a power purchase agreement (PPA) that allowed the Authority to lock in low electricity rates for 20 years without raising cost to its customers. The switch to biogas-sourced green power has enabled VVWRA to dramatically reduce its use of natural gas, saving it more than $400,000 per year. Moving forward, VVWRA will be installing a flow-cell battery storage and microgrid system at its facility through a California Energy Commission grant. VVWRA is committed to not only producing 100 percent of its energy on-site, but to becoming an exporter of green power in the future.

VVWRA became an EPA Green Power Partner in 2015.

Green Power Community of the Year

Bainbridge Island, WA Green Power Community

Bainbridge Island is a sustainability-minded community of 23,000 residents located in the state of Washington's Puget Sound region.

The Bainbridge Island Green Power Community is being recognized for its ongoing dedication to using green power. In 2013, the island's leadership supported a special green power campaign that encouraged thousands of residents and businesses to buy green power through Puget Sound Energy (PSE), the island's electricity provider. PSE constructed a five-kilowatt (kW) solar array on the island to source the program. The following year, continued enthusiasm for green power led the City Council to approve purchasing 100 percent green power for all city facilities. Today, Bainbridge continues to hold one of the highest community participation rates in PSE's service area. More than 10 percent of island residents participate in the program, an all-time high for utility green power program participation.

The island's municipal leaders and residents have been longtime advocates for facilitating the adoption of clean energy as, for example, illustrated by its early adoption of the community solar model. Bainbridge Island developed a 74-kilowatt (kW) community solar project on city hall to test the belief that more people will "go solar" if it is easy, affordable, and free of site barriers. In addition to the community solar project, Island residents have installed a combined 1.6 megawatts (MW) of solar PV capacity on private Island residences, generating more than 1.6 million kilowatt-hours of emission-free electricity.

Bainbridge Island became an EPA Green Power Community in 2016.

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Renewable Energy Markets Conference

About the Conference

Renewable Energy Markets Exit is the industry's paramount annual gathering attended by leading renewable energy and green power stakeholders, and is held in a different major city each year. This year’s Renewable Energy Markets Conference will be held October 9-11, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Visit the Renewable Energy Markets Conference website Exit for more information.

At the REM conference, attendees:

• Network with the industry's key players, including power marketers, renewable energy developers, retail and wholesale green power suppliers, electric utilities, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, energy consultants, and nonprofit experts
• Gain new insights about the major issues facing voluntary renewable energy and carbon markets
• Learn about profitable strategies for industry growth and current renewable energy supply and demand trends
• Attend the Green Power Leadership Awards Banquet, which is held in conjunction with the conference

About the Awards Ceremony

EPA co-sponsors the Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). The awards recognize the leading actions of organizations, programs, and individuals that significantly advance the development of the voluntary green power market.

To receive Partnership and awards updates, please contact us and indicate your interest in receiving updates from the Green Power Partnership.