Monday, January 28th 2008
Intel Becomes Largest Purchaser of Green Power in the U.S.
Intel Corporation said today it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates as part of a multi-faceted approach to reduce its impact on the environment, making Intel the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company said it hoped the record-setting purchase would help stimulate the market for green power, which should lead to additional generating capacity and ultimately, lower costs.
The purchase placed Intel at the top of EPA's latest Green Power Partners Top 25 list, and also at the No. 1 spot on EPA's Fortune 500 Green Power Partners list. The EPA's Green Power Partnership program encourages and recognizes voluntary green power purchases as a way to reduce the impact of conventional electricity use.
"EPA applauds our Fortune 500 partners for protecting our environment by purchasing green power," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, Intel is proving you don't need to wait for a signal in order to go green."
"We have a long history of commitment to the environment and energy efficiency is an important consideration in everything we do, from building transistors to designing microprocessors and running our factories," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini, who is also a member of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a global group of leaders working to achieve an effective global climate treaty at next year's UN Environmental Summit in Copenhagen. "Our renewable purchase is just one part of a multi-faceted approach to protect the environment, and one that we hope spurs additional development and demand for renewable energy."
Renewable Energy Certificates
Renewable energy certificates, or RECs, are the "currency" of the renewable energy market and are widely recognized as a having credible and tangible environmental benefits. The EPA estimates that Intel's REC purchase has the equivalent environmental impact of taking more than 185,000 passenger cars off the road each year, or avoiding the amount of electricity needed to power more than 130,000 average American homes annually.
Intel's REC purchase, which includes a portfolio of wind, solar, small hydro-electric and biomass sources, will be handled by Sterling Planet, a leading national supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions. The purchase will be certified by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e program which certifies and verifies green power products.
"Intel's outstanding commitment to renewable energy provides significant support for market-based mechanisms for renewable energy technologies of all types," said Mel Jones, Sterling Planet president and CEO. "We commend Intel for their vision and leadership in all aspects of corporate responsibility. Intel's support for renewable energy technologies echoes its mission to deliver advancements that become essential to the way we work and live."
Intel, EPA, and the Environment
Intel and EPA have worked together for several years on a variety of fronts, from Energy Star to Climate Leader and Performance Track programs, to broad industry efforts such as the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. The Agency recently recognized Intel with a 2007 Water Efficiency Leader award for its efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle water in its Chandler, Ariz. manufacturing facility. Intel was also recognized by the EPA as the most commute-friendly employer in the nation in 2006.
In addition to promoting and funding ideas for greater energy efficiency in its facilities, Intel has consistently specified high-energy-efficiency equipment in its manufacturing facilities with a view to ensuring greater energy efficiency and environmental benefit. Over the last 7 years, the company invested over $20 million in more than 250 energy conservation projects that saved in excess of 500 million kilowatt hours, enough energy to power about 50,000 U.S. homes.
To learn more, visit the press kit at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/green/rec.
Source:
Intel
The purchase placed Intel at the top of EPA's latest Green Power Partners Top 25 list, and also at the No. 1 spot on EPA's Fortune 500 Green Power Partners list. The EPA's Green Power Partnership program encourages and recognizes voluntary green power purchases as a way to reduce the impact of conventional electricity use.
"EPA applauds our Fortune 500 partners for protecting our environment by purchasing green power," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By voluntarily shifting to renewable energy, Intel is proving you don't need to wait for a signal in order to go green."
"We have a long history of commitment to the environment and energy efficiency is an important consideration in everything we do, from building transistors to designing microprocessors and running our factories," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini, who is also a member of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a global group of leaders working to achieve an effective global climate treaty at next year's UN Environmental Summit in Copenhagen. "Our renewable purchase is just one part of a multi-faceted approach to protect the environment, and one that we hope spurs additional development and demand for renewable energy."
Renewable Energy Certificates
Renewable energy certificates, or RECs, are the "currency" of the renewable energy market and are widely recognized as a having credible and tangible environmental benefits. The EPA estimates that Intel's REC purchase has the equivalent environmental impact of taking more than 185,000 passenger cars off the road each year, or avoiding the amount of electricity needed to power more than 130,000 average American homes annually.
Intel's REC purchase, which includes a portfolio of wind, solar, small hydro-electric and biomass sources, will be handled by Sterling Planet, a leading national supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions. The purchase will be certified by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e program which certifies and verifies green power products.
"Intel's outstanding commitment to renewable energy provides significant support for market-based mechanisms for renewable energy technologies of all types," said Mel Jones, Sterling Planet president and CEO. "We commend Intel for their vision and leadership in all aspects of corporate responsibility. Intel's support for renewable energy technologies echoes its mission to deliver advancements that become essential to the way we work and live."
Intel, EPA, and the Environment
Intel and EPA have worked together for several years on a variety of fronts, from Energy Star to Climate Leader and Performance Track programs, to broad industry efforts such as the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. The Agency recently recognized Intel with a 2007 Water Efficiency Leader award for its efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle water in its Chandler, Ariz. manufacturing facility. Intel was also recognized by the EPA as the most commute-friendly employer in the nation in 2006.
In addition to promoting and funding ideas for greater energy efficiency in its facilities, Intel has consistently specified high-energy-efficiency equipment in its manufacturing facilities with a view to ensuring greater energy efficiency and environmental benefit. Over the last 7 years, the company invested over $20 million in more than 250 energy conservation projects that saved in excess of 500 million kilowatt hours, enough energy to power about 50,000 U.S. homes.
To learn more, visit the press kit at www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/green/rec.
29 Comments on Intel Becomes Largest Purchaser of Green Power in the U.S.
If those same people knew that france got 80% of it's power from Nuclear technology, maybe they'd have a chance of heart. Too bad people get all of their knowledge from pop-culture movies and TV shows, rather than actually researching and developing their own opinions about the things they oppose.
I say we get Fussion power soon and use that.
Edit.
Not to mention what it would do to our economy. Think about this, there are thousands of coal miners, and oil drillers to feed the US power demand, if we switched to green we would put hundreds of thousands out of work overnight, not to mention power plant employees themselves, as Turbines need oil once a month and a crew of 5 do that and solar needs 1 or 2 operators. Going green cripples the economy
just cant win here
its good to see this thing though
There is plenty of room in Nevada to put up wind and solar to power the whole country.
The problem is that it is not a good idea to put all of your power generation in a sinlge area.
That being said, there is ample room in most states to put up wind farms.
We have been kicking around the idea of getting one for our house.
But right direction...
:pimp:
From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ....... and that's not including wind or hydro power.
Any compnay that produces RE can get a REC from producing 1MWhr of RE from solar or winds, etc. There is nothing to gaurantee that the power Intel will use will come from these people, but they are more-or-less buying into the program. This is the good part.
The tentative part is that if all the power that Intel requires is not available from a RE source, it will come from whatever is available (coal, nuclear, burning old gym socks, etc.)
This is not bad as if it was not for the RE companies, all the power would be generated this way, but the problem still exists in that the government is not giving equal subsidies to the RE providers in the same way it is to the fossil burning companies.
I personally think that regardless of any global warming, save the whales, free the dolphins studies that are done, we should be trying to eliminate as much pollution as we can just so we have clean air to breath.
I'm mainly concerned with how we power our transportation. We NEED to stop using foreign oil. Beacause of all of the environmentalist nutjobs, our country relies on Arab oil. What happens when we buy Arab oil? The Arabs use our money to fund terrorists that attack us, Plus, they use our money to buy large amounts of our economy and businesses. We need Hydrogen, Ethanol, or we need to drill our own oil in ANWR or off-shore florida or cali. If we do this, we will stop funding our own demise!!!
Not only have they cut costs by employing cheap labour from Taiwan, but they have both 1. brought down quality 2. Polluted Asia while keeping the lawns in USA greener. ROHS is a big eyewash. Come to Asia and see the truth.
Also the semicondoctor plants are a clean industry
My cousin brought me an authentic free-size NY Yankees cap. The label read: "Made in Bangladesh" :roll:
If Intel wants to build a plant in Tiawan, it's Tiawan's job to keep their country clean, not the EPA's.
That being said, I think countries should work together to keep the world cleaner, but in the end it's up to the leaders of a sovereign country to set policy and police their own area.