At an award ceremony hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last evening, Intel Corporation received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award and was also named a Green Power Partner of the Year. The EPA recognized the company's voluntary efforts to address climate change through green power purchases and its impact in advancing the renewable energy market.

"This is but one milestone in our long-term strategy to help make renewable energy more economically feasible and a realistic choice for individuals and corporations," said William Swope, vice president of Intel's Corporate Affairs Group. "Renewable energy investment is imperative to spur the growth of the nation's energy market and we'll continue this ramp along with our industry efforts."

In early 2008, Intel signed a multi-year commitment to purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates (REC) per year - enough power to meet approximately 47 percent of its purchased electricity use - and putting the company at the No. 1 spot on the EPA Fortune 500 Green Power Partners List. With a combination of RECs from Sterling Planet, Austin Energy and PNM, Intel's wide-ranging renewable energy portfolio includes wind projects in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest as well as solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in California. The EPA estimates that Intel's record purchase has the equivalent environmental impact of taking more than 185,000 cars off the road, or avoiding the amount of electricity needed to power more than 130,000 average American homes annually.

"Since Intel's purchase, we have seen a clear increase in market demand for renewable energy," said Mel Jones, Sterling Planet president and CEO. "Our contract backlog has grown more than 90 percent over the same period last year. Intel's commitment is having a significant impact on the market, while raising the bar and setting the example for corporate purchasers large and small."

In addition to its focus on stimulating the renewable energy market through purchasing power, Intel invests and innovates across a range of energy conservation activities, helping save more than $40 million in Intel operations since 2001. Below are some of the highlights from this year:

Investments
Alongside Intel's REC purchase, Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, has invested more than $100 million in solar energy projects so far this year.

• Intel Capital today announced a $20 million investment in Trony Solar, Intel Capital's first cleantech investment in China. The deal will enable local green innovation and the funds will help expand production capacity to 105 megawatts and increase research and development.
• In June, Intel spun-off a company called SpectraWatt, which manufactures PV cells for solar panels with $50 million in funding from Intel Capital and other investors. In July, Intel Capital led funding in Sulfurcell, a German thin-film solar company, with $35 million to expand production capacity; and also invested $12.5 million in Voltaix, which makes materials for semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing.

Installations
Intel has deployed renewable energy technologies at its sites and continues to look for opportunities across its dispersed locations.

• Intel's Bangalore, India site hosted the company's first solar installations. Solar water heaters now provide hot water across multiple campuses, saving 70,000 kilowatts per year, or 2 percent of the site's electricity.
• Intel's first solar installation in the United States, a 100Kw electric PV system on the roof of its Jones Farm campus in Hillsboro, Oregon, will be operational later this year.
• Later this year Intel will complete a solar demonstration project at its New Mexico site, highlighting PV uses and benefits in data centers.