The City of Houston continues it run in the top 10 organizations for purchasing electricity generated by renewable power in the latest list released by the EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Houston made the list at #9, the only city in the Top 10 and beating out the US Department of Energy. The remainder of the Top 10 is made up of technology and retail companies, with Intel taking the #1 spot for the seventh time.
The City of Houston used 622,887,000 kWh or 48% of the city’s total electricity use. The city’s provider is Reliant Energy and the green power is wind-generated. The next cities on the list are Washington DC at #12 and Austin at #19 (they both offset 100% of their power usage with wind power)
The lists are released quarterly by the EPA and reflect an organization’s annualized green power purchases.
Houston first made the list in 2008, ranked as #12 purchasing 20% of its total power, then moved ahead of Dallas to the #9 position in the 2nd quarter of 2008 when it rasied its green power perecnetage to 27%. It’s highest ranking was #4 in the 2nd quarter of 2010 and again in the 2nd quarter of 2011. Passed briefly by the state of Penn in 2010. DC briefly eclipsed us for nine months in 2012-2013 when they went to 100% green power, but Houston took over the #1 municipal spot again in 3rd quarter 2013. This latest ranking reflects a two-year contract with Reliant from July 2013 to June 2015.
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/