Originally published December 1 2005
DOE reports exponential increase in renewable energy purchases
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to newly-released report from the Department of Energy, power purchases from renewable energy sources have, in the last five years, increased tenfold.
The voluntary purchase of power from renewable energy sources has increased by a factor of 10 over the past five years, according to a DOE report released on October 24th.
The amount of renewable energy capacity supported through such "green power" purchases topped 2,200 megawatts by the end of 2004, up from only 167 megawatts in 2000.
The report also documents a growing interest among utilities and their customers: about 600 utilities were offering green power programs in 34 states in 2004, and more than 330,000 utility customers were participating in such programs, a fivefold increase since 1999.
That trend is confirmed by EPA's Green Power Partnership, which now includes 600 partner organizations buying more than 3 billion kilowatt-hours of green power each year.
Among the leading green power buyers are Johnson & Johnson; Safeway, Inc.; Advanced Micro Devices; and Whole Foods Market.
DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the news during the Tenth National Green Power Marketing Conference, which concludes on October 26th in Austin, Texas.
DOE, EPA, and the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) also used the occasion to honor people and organizations that have helped establish the green power market.
Green Power Partner of the Year Awards were presented to HSBC North America, Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Air Force, and WhiteWave Foods Company for their green power purchases.
The highest honor in market development, Green Power Pioneer, was presented to Blair Swezey of DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one of the co-authors of the new DOE report.
GreenChoice supports four Texas wind facilities and allows customers to lock in a fixed rate for 10 years, a popular feature in today's volatile energy market.
Because of its GreenChoice program, Austin Energy was also awarded the 2005 Wind Power Pioneer Award in a separate awards ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 25th.
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