EPA's Green Power Partnership
Partnership Requirements
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1 200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (Mail Code 6202J)
Washington, DC 20460
www.epa.gov/greenpower
&EPA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNERSHIP"
Last updated: December 2010
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Summary
• Partner organizations can join at a facility level up to an organization-wide
commitment (U.S. facilities only).
• Partner organizations must buy green power in amounts proportional to
their annual electricity use.
• Eligible renewable resources include wind, solar, geoi hernial, qualifying
biomass, and low-impact hydropower.
• Partner organizations can meet the minimum purchase requirements with
any of the following products (either singly or in combination): renew-
able energy certificates (RECs), utility green pricing products, utility green
marketing products, or on-site power generation from eligible renewable
resources.
• Partner organizations must meet the minimum purchase requirements with
electricity produced from "new" renewable facilities.
• EPA holds the right to reevaluate and update the Partnership requirements
at any time.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
Contents
I. Introduction 3
II. Eligible Organizations 3
III. Scope of Participation 3
IV. Incremental Green Power Requirement 3
V. Yearly Reporting Requirement 4
VI. Minimum Purchase Requirement 4
VII. Green Power Leadership Club Purchase Requirement (Optional) 6
VIII. Energy Efficiency Improvements and Buying Green Power 6
IX. Eligible Sources of Green Power 6
X. Eligible Green Power Products 7
XI. Guidance on Purchasing Texas RECs from Non-wind Facilities 7
XII. Locating Green Power Products 7
XIII. "New" Renewables Purchase Requirement 8
XIV. Green Power Vintage Requirement 8
XV. Product Certification 9
XVI. Environmental Claims Guidance 9
XVII. Partner Recognition 10
XVIII. Partner Suspensions 11
XIX. Partnership Requirements Updates 11
XX. Contact EPA's Green Power Partnership 11
Appendix A - Eligible Green Power Resources A-l
Appendix B — Co-firing of Eligible Biomass B-l
Appendix C - Partnership Agreement C-l
Appendix D - Partner Yearly Report D-l
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EPA's Green Power Partnership
Partnership Requirements
si*,
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I. Introduction
This document outlines the requirements for joining EPA's
Green Power Partnership (GPP). The GPP is a voluntary pro-
gram supporting the increased use of green power to reduce the
environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity
use. This document complements the requirements presented in
the program Partnership Agreement (see Appendix C).
II. Eligible Organizations
The Partnership is open to all organizations operating within
the United States, except for sellers, suppliers, or marketers of
green power (i.e., "providers"). Partnership-eligible organiza-
tions include:
• Publicly- and privately-held corporations
• Federal, state, and local government agencies
• Nonprofits
• Educational institutions
Providers are those organizations that sell, supply, or market
green power products. Providers may include: utilities; renew-
able energy certificate sellers, brokers or distributors; on-site
renewable services providers; and others. EPA reserves the right
to withhold partnership to any organization that is perceived as
a seller, supplier, marketer, or provider of green power products.
The Partnership works with providers under a separate frame-
work.
Individuals and private residences are not eligible to join the
GPP, but they may find the information and resources available
through the Partnership useful in finding, evaluating, and buy-
ing green power products.
III. Scope of Participation
There are two levels at which an organization may join the
GPP:
1. Organization-wide (U.S. operations only)
2. Single facility or any logical aggregation of facilities less
than organization-wide
This flexibility provides organizations the opportunity to refine
their green power procurement strategies as they expand their
commitment over time.
Only organizations joining at the organization-wide level are
eligible for Green Power Leadership Club distinction (see Sec-
tion VII) and inclusion on the GPP's 100% Purchasers list.
The Partnership requires that Partners with branded franchise1
facilities clearly state in any public disclosure whether or not the
purchase scope includes such branded facilities. EPA requires
this disclosure since franchised facilities not owned by a Partner
may still be branded with the Partner's name, and as a result a
Partner's claim of purchasing green power may give the impres-
sion that similarly branded but independently operated facilities
are also purchasing green power.
Partners may claim to be purchasing "organization-wide"
(U.S. facilities only), meaning facilities owned and operated by
the Partner—but excluding franchise facilities—or including
co-branded or facilities operating under franchise agreements.
Either way, the Partner may claim to be using green power, but
the chosen organizational categorization must be clearly stated
in any public disclosure. Partners purchasing organization-wide
(under either scope) are eligible for the Green Power Leadership
Club and the 100% Purchasers list.
With respect to rented or leased space, only the party purchas-
ing the green power may make environmental claims. This will
avoid both the lessor and the lessee making claims on the same
green power. However, both renter and owner may buy green
power for a single facility in order to make the same green
claims about that facility.
IV. Incremental Green Power Requirement
EPA recognizes only voluntary green power purchases that
increase Partners' green power use above mandatory require-
ments, such as state renewable portfolio standards (RPS),
mandates placed on utilities, or load-serving entities or consent
decrees. All green power purchases counted by the GPP must
be incremental to what the Partner would have bought absent
proactive green power procurement.
1 A franchise agreement constitutes any agreement in which one organizations products, brand name, business model, facility, operational structure, or other goods and
services are granted to another organization.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
In each of the following examples, renewable electricity gen-
eration is not considered green power and does not reflect an
environmental benefit for which the Partner could claim credit:
1. Renewable electricity generation is used to satisfy RPS
mandates or goals imposed by federal, state or local govern-
ments on utilities or load serving entities.
2. Renewable electricity generation is included in an undiffer-
entiated power product (e.g., standard electricity service or
utility system mix).
3. Renewable electricity generation is being paid for by all
customers (e.g., in a utility's standard rates).
4. Renewable electricity generation comes from an eligible re-
newable generator that has been mandated by a local, state
or federal government agency (e.g., in a consent decree).
5. Renewable electricity generation is purchased instead of
paying a system benefits charge for renewable electricity
(e.g., a self-directed system benefits charge).
6. Renewable electricity generation is purchased as part of a
Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) under a Clean
Air Act enforcement action.
7. Renewable electricity generation is sourced from a state
that has a mandatory GHG cap in place for power plant
emissions or similar regulatory mechanism, unless emission
allowances are retired on behalf of the renewable energy
buyer, such as in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
(RGGI). For purchases from those states to be eligible and
result in GHG emission reduction claims, Green Power
Partners should communicate with their provider about
whether the necessary administrative steps are being taken
to secure this result.
The following are circumstances in which EPA has recognized a
purchase of renewable electricity generation as incremental:
1. The purchase is a result of an obligation placed on federal,
state, or local government agencies as end-users of energy
via a state or federal executive order.
2. The purchase is included as a voluntary measure in a State
Implementation Plan (SIP) under the federal NOx Budget
Cap and Trade Program. Although SIPs are mandated,
they do not set mandatory requirements for the use or pur-
chase of renewable energy. Therefore, a purchase of green
power under a SIP is considered a voluntary purchase.
V. Yearly Reporting Requirement
Partners are asked to update EPA when a change occurs to
their green power purchase or partnership status. In addition,
each year, the GPP will provide each Partner's primary con-
tact with a Partner Yearly Report summarizing the organiza-
tion's current green power purchase and partnership status.
Partners must review, update, and return the Partner Yearly
Report to EPA. Partners that fail to return a Partner Yearly
Report or otherwise provide an update to EPA risk suspen-
sion. For additional information, please see Section XVIII
(Partner Suspensions).
A blank version of the Partner Yearly Report is available in Ap-
pendix D. Partners can review the data EPA has on file for their
organization by requesting a completed version of the Partner
Yearly Report from the GPP.
VI. Minimum Purchase Requirement
EPA requires that Partners meet a minimum percentage of their
annual electricity use with green power. Partners should calcu-
late their annual purchased electricity use in accordance with
their organization's scope of participation (i.e., facility level or
up to organization-wide) in the GPP.
Partners have up to six months from the date they submit a
Partnership Agreement to buy green power in amounts that
meet or exceed EPA's minimum purchase requirements.
For a purchase to qualify for the GPP, Partner organizations
must retire, or not resell, the RECs associated with their
green power purchase. An organization's green power sup-
plier may retire the RECs on a Partner's behalf. This require-
ment prevents two different parties claiming the same green
power benefits.
Owners of on-site systems that sell the RECs associated
with the system may no longer claim that the electricity
they are using is renewable. The electricity generated from
an on-site system where the RECs have been sold does not
qualify in meeting EPA purchase requirements. Partners
may, however, replace the RECs sold from an on-site system
through a secondary green power purchase in order to
qualify for the GPP.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
Assessing Your Organization's Minimum Purchase Requirement
Organizations can take the following steps to assess their mini-
mum green power purchase requirement:
1. Decide the organization's scope of partnership (i.e., facility
level up to organization-wide / U.S. operations only).
2. Calculate the total annual electricity use for the scope of
partnership. Organizations can use recent utility bills to
estimate their projected electricity use.
3. Organizations that have no access to or control over elec-
tricity use or billing data (e.g., for leased space) can estimate
total electricity use based on square footage. Multiply the
total square footage of your chosen scope of partnership by
a factor of 14.9 kWh/sf/year (or .0149 MWh/sf/year). This
is a national average for U.S. commercial buildings of all
space types2.
4. Organizations can use the table below to find the kilowatt-
hours (kWh) range for their annual electricity use (i.e., their
"baseload") and identify the corresponding percentage of
green power required to meet EPA's minimum require-
ments.
EPA will periodically review and update the minimum purchase
requirements to keep pace with the market and buyer patterns.
Table I: Minimum Purchase Requirements
Your Organization's Baseload
Minimum Purchase Requirements
as of January 1,2011a
If your annual electricity use in
Kilowatt-hours is...
You must, at a minimum, buy this much green power
within six months of joining the Partnership
> 100,000,001 kWh
3% of your use
10,000,001 - 100,000,000 kWh
5% of your use
1,000,001 - 10,000,000 kWh
10% of your use
< 1,000,000 kWh
20% of your use
a The minimum purchase in kilowatt-hours (kWh) must be greater than the highest possible requirement in kilowatt-hours for the next lower benchmark level. For
example, an organization with a baseload electricity use of 100,000,001 kWh (3 percent benchmark level) would be required to buy 5,000,000 kWh a year mini-
mum, which equals the highest possible requirement for the 5 percent benchmark category.
2 Energy Information Agency, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey 2003 (CBECS): www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/cbecs2003/detailed,
tables_2003/2003set 15/2003pdf/c l4a.pdf
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership
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VII. Green Power Leadership Club Purchase
Requirement (Optional)
The Green Power Leadership Club (GPLC) honors Partners that
substantially exceed EPA's minimum purchase requirements for
an organization-wide commitment. EPA automatically includes
all Partner organizations making qualifying green power pur-
chases in the GPLC. No added paperwork is needed. EPA does
not limit the total number of organizations in the GPLC.
The GPLC is open only to Partners that are joining organiza-
tion-wide across all U.S. operations.
EPA identifies each Partner meeting the minimum GPLC
purchase requirement as a GPLC member on the GPP website.
Qualifying Partners also receive a GPLC plaque.
Partners must meet the entire minimum GPLC purchase
requirement with "new" renewable resources. Please refer to Sec-
tion XIII ("New" Renewables Purchase Requirement) for more
information.
Table 2 below identifies the GPLC percentage purchase require-
ment relative to an organization's baseload.
VIII. Energy Efficiency Improvements and
Buying Green Power
EPA encourages Partners to pursue energy efficiency improve-
ments and can refer Partners to ENERGY STAR® for more in-
formation. Efficiency efforts may reduce Partners' total electric-
ity use. The GPP requires that Partners provide a yearly update
on electricity load and green power purchasing (see Section V
Partner Yearly Report). Partners can report efficiency-related
reductions in total electricity consumption through this process.
IX. Eligible Sources of Green Power
The GPP defines "green power" as a subset of renewable energy
that encompasses those renewable resources and technologies
that provide the highest environmental benefit.
Green power facilities must generate electricity with zero
anthropogenic (i.e., human-caused) emissions and have an envi-
ronmental profile superior to conventional power generation.
EPA requires that a Partner's green power use be supplied from
U.S.-based facilities built since the beginning of the voluntary
market (since January 1, 1997). The one exception to this is
for purchase contracts for or on-site use of existing renewables
(i.e. renewables from generating facilities built before 1/1/1997)
reported to EPA before February 19, 2009. These contracts and
on-site use amounts will be recognized by the Partnership for
the duration of the contract or up to a period not to extend past
January 1, 2012. For additional information, see Section XIII
("New" Renewables Purchase Requirement).
The following are eligible green power resources:
• Solar photovoltaic
• Wind
• Geothermal
Table 2: Green Power Leadership Club Purchase Requirements
Your Organization's Baseload
Green Power Leadership Club Purchase
Requirements After January 1, 201 1a b c
If annual electricity use
(kilowatt-hours) is...
Partner must, at a minimum, buy this much
green power across its entire U. S. operations
> 100,000,001 kWh
30% of your use
10,000,001 - 100,000,000 kWh
50% of your use
1,000,001 - 10,000,000 kWh
100% of your use
a Partners with an annual electricity use of less than I million kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year are not eligible for the GPLC. EPA recognizes separately Partners that fall
in this size category and buy 100 percent green power.
b Partners must meet the minimum GPLC purchase requirement entirely with "new" renewables.
c The minimum purchase for the GPLC in kilowatt-hours (kWh) must be greater than the highest possible requirement in kilowatt-hours for the next lower bench-
mark level. For example, an organization with a baseload electricity use of 100,000,001 kWh (30 percent benchmark level) would be required to buy 50,000,000
kWh a year minimum, which equals the highest possible requirement for the 50 percent benchmark category
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
• Hydropower certified by the Low-Impact Hydro Insti-
tute. EPA will honor green power contracts in place be-
fore April 30, 2006 from hydropower installations of less
than 30-megawatt capacity until those contracts expire
(see Appendix A)
• Eligible biomass (see Appendix A)
• Co-firing of eligible forms of biomass with non-renew-
ables (acceptable under certain conditions as defined in
Appendix B)
• Biodiesel-fueled (B100) generators
• Fuel cells using eligible fuel sources listed above
• For a more extensive explanation of eligible sources of
green power, please refer to Appendix A.
X. Eligible Green Power Products
Partners have significant flexibility in choosing types and com-
binations of green power products. The following product types
are acceptable:
• Renewable energy certificates (RECs)
• Future RECs (see vintage requirements in Section XIV)
• Utility green pricing products (in regulated utility markets)
• Utility green marketing products (in deregulated utility
markets)
• On-site power generation from eligible renewable resources
The eligible green power content of utility green marketing or
utility green pricing products may vary. EPA recognizes only the
eligible green power portion of a product toward fulfilling the
GPP's purchase requirements. For example, if an organization
is buying a utility green power product composed of 50 percent
wind power, 10 percent large hydropower, and 40 percent con-
ventional power, only the 50 percent of that purchase derived
from wind power qualifies as an eligible resource. Neither the
large hydropower nor the conventional power qualifies, as de-
scribed in Section IX (Eligible Sources of Green Power).
XI. Guidance on Purchasing Texas RECs from
Non-wind Facilities
Texas Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from non-wind facili-
ties that qualify for Compliance Premiums (CPs) are eligible
to meet the Partnership's purchase requirements if the RECs
and an equal amount of CPs from the same generating unit
are purchased and retired on behalf of the voluntary purchaser
in the same year. This will allow the Partner on whose behalf
the RECs and CPs were retired to make a complete renewable
energy claim regarding the non-wind renewable megawatt-hours
(MWh) they used to satisfy the GPP requirements. This policy
applies to all non-wind renewable energy supply generated in
Texas on or after January 1, 2008. This policy does not affect
Texas RECs obtained from (1) non-wind facilities installed and
REC-certified by the Public Utility Commission of Texas on or
before September 1, 2005, as these facilities do not qualify for
CPs, and, (2) energy generated from non-wind facilities on or
before December 31, 2007, as CPs are awarded for each REC
only for energy generated after December 31, 2007.
Below is the Substantive Rule 25.173(1)
(1) Target for renewable technologies other than wind power.
In order to meet the target of at least 500 MW of the total
installed renewable capacity after September 1, 2005, coming
from a renewable energy technology other than a source using
wind energy as set forth in subsection (a)(1) of this section, the
program administrator shall award compliance premiums to
certified REC generators other than those powered by wind
that were installed and certified by the commission pursuant to
subsection (n) of this section after September 1, 2005. A compli-
ance premium is created in conjunction with a REC.
(1) For eligible non-wind renewable technologies, one
compliance premium shall be awarded for each REC
awarded for energy generated after December 31, 2007.
(2) Except as provided in this subsection, the award, retire-
ment, trade, and registration of compliance premiums
shall follow the requirements of subsections (d), (k) and
(m) of this section.
(3) A compliance premium may be used by any entity
toward its RPS requirement pursuant to subsection (h)
of this section.
(4) The program administrator shall increase the statewide
RPS requirement calculated for each compliance period
pursuant to subsection (h)(1) of this section by the
number of compliance premiums retired during the
previous compliance period.
XII. Locating Green Power Products
The GPP website hosts the Green Power Locator, a national and
state-by-state listing of available green power products: www.
ep a. gov/ greenpower/pubs/gplocator.htm.
EPA does not endorse any provider or product listed in this database.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership
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XIII. "New" Renewables Purchase
Requirement
To support developing more renewable energy capacity nation-
wide, EPA requires that Partners use green power from "new"
renewable energy facilities. EPA defines "new" as those facilities
put into service on or after January 1, 1997. This date is gener-
ally considered to be the inception of the voluntary green power
market.3 However, effective January 1, 2012, the "new date"
will change to January 1, 1998 and advance one year each year
thereafter. This 15-year "new date" will help continuously drive
the development of new renewables.
EPA considers facilities put into service before January 1, 1997
(or January 1, 1998 after January 1, 2012) to be "existing" gen-
eration facilities. Facilities placed into operation before January 1,
1997 (or January 1, 1998 after January 1, 2012) may qualify as a
"new" facility if one or more of the following conditions are met:
1. The facility has been re-powered on or after January 1, 1997
(or January 1, 1998 after January 1, 2012) such that 80 per-
cent of the fair market value of the project stems from new
generation equipment installed as part of the re-powering.
2. A separable improvement to or a complete improvement of
an existing operating facility provides incremental genera-
tion that is separately metered from the existing generation
at the facility. In addition, if the incremental generation is
sold as a green power market product, then it must be con-
tractually available for sale and not claimed under a state
renewable portfolio standard or consent decree.
3. The facility is a biomass co-firing operation that meets the
eligibility requirements as described in Appendices A and B
and began co-firing eligible biomass with non-eligible fuels
on or after January 1, 1997 (or January 1, 1998 after Janu-
ary 1, 2012).
4. The facility is a separately metered landfill gas resource that
was not used to generate electricity before January 1, 1997
(or January 1, 1998 after January 1, 2012).
Purchases of existing renewables or on-site use of existing
renewables will be phased out of the Partnership under the fol-
lowing approach:
All Partners' purchase contracts for existing renewables or
on-site use of existing renewables which have been reported
to EPA as of February 19, 2009 will continue to be recog-
nized by the Partnership for the duration of the contract or
up to a period not to extend past January 1, 2012.
Example: Partner C has just entered the second year of a three-
year purchase agreement that is 20percent neiv reneivables and
80percent existing reneivables. The Partnership will recognize
the full purchase amount for the full three-year term of the con-
tract. The Partnership will not recognize existing reneivables in
any extension of the contract.
XIV. Green Power Vintage Requirement
The green power (kilowatt-hours) produced by renewable gen-
erators is identified by the "vintage" year in which electricity is
generated (i.e. electrons delivered to the utility grid).
For example, the RECs associated with the renewable generation
of electricity by a wind facility during the 2007 calendar year
are considered to be 2007 vintage RECs.
For Partners' yearly purchase, EPA requires that Partners buy
green power products generated within that vintage year, up to
six months prior to that vintage year or up to three months after
the vintage year.
For example, a Partner purchasing green power for eligibility
in the Green Power Partnership in 2007 may select qualify-
ing green power generated at any point between July 2006 (six
months prior to the current calendar year) through calendar
year 2007 and up through March 2008 (three months after the
vintage year).
Important Note:
Organizations should be aware that emissions inventory
protocols might require that green power purchase vintages
align with the specific year for which the emissions reduction
is claimed; for example, a 2007 emissions reduction being
achieved through a green power purchase would require
that the green power be generated between January 1 and
December 31, 2007. Organizations should verify that a green
power purchase is applicable towards meeting greenhouse
gas reduction goals. For information on carrying out an
emissions inventory, please refer to EPA's Climate Leaders
partnership at www.epa.gov/climateleaders.
Future RECs
Future RECs are counted in the year they are actually gener-
ated, with the same limited flexibility offered to any other REC
product. This means they may be claimed to meet Partnership
requirements if they are generated in the current year, in the
3 Exceptions may be made, on a case-by-case basis, for facilities placed online prior to 1997 that were developed specifically for utility green pricing programs.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
last six months of the prior year, or the first three months of the
following year.
Example: In 2009, Partner E purchases a future REC product
from a ivindfarm that is scheduled to begin operation in 2012.
The RECs generated by this ivindfarm ivill not be eligible to
meet Partnership requirements until operations begin and the
projected REC generation is realized.
All Partners purchasing future RECs as of February 19, 2009,
may continue to count future RECs against their current year
Partnership commitments for the duration of their existing con-
tracts or until January 1, 2011, whichever comes first.
No later than January 1, 2011, regardless of existing contracts,
all future RECs purchases in the program must be counted
only in the year generated, with the same flexibility exceptions
around the current year.
After February 19, 2009, new purchases of future RECs may be
counted only in the year generated, with the flexibility excep-
tions noted above.
XV. Product Certification
EPA strongly encourages Partners to buy green power products
that are certified by an independent third-party as a matter of
best practice. Buying a certified green power product offers a
higher certainty to customers that they are receiving the desired
environmental benefits. Certified products also meet environ-
mental and consumer protection guidelines adopted by the
certifying organization as well as relevant guidelines set forth by
the National Association of Attorneys General and the Federal
Trade Commission.
EPA does not require Partners to buy certified products.
XVI. Environmental Claims Guidance
Buying or using green power enables Partners to make certain
environmental benefit statements. Partner organizations should
consider the following guidelines when calculating and making
environmental claims.
1. Ensure your contractual right to make claims. You
should ensure that your green power purchase contractu-
ally conveys the full rights to the environmental benefits of
the generation source. Your organization must retain these
rights in order to make an environmental claim.
2. Ensure your purchase does not count towards a man-
date. Buyers of unbundled renewable energy certificates
(RECs) or bundled green power products should ensure
that their supplier is not also applying the underlying attri-
butes and environmental benefits to a mandate (e.g., a state
renewable energy portfolio standard [RPS]). Such a situa-
tion would constitute a double claim between you and your
supplier.
3. Make claims that match the scope of your purchase. If
you are buying green power for a subset of your organiza-
tion, you should communicate the scope of your purchase
when making your claims.
4. Retain ownership of RECs for on-site green power. If
you own an on-site renewable electricity generation source,
you should avoid selling the associated RECs of the on-site
source if you wish to make an environmental claim. Selling
the RECs transfers your claim on the renewable attributes
of the system to the buyer of the RECs.
5. Retire the RECs associated with your green power pur-
chase. Your organization should retire the RECs associated
with its green power purchase. Organizations should not
transfer or sell RECs after a claim has been made. Mak-
ing a claim constitutes a retirement of the REC; any sale or
claim by a different owner would constitute a double claim.
In taking these steps, you help avoid two different parties
claiming the same green power benefits.
6. Support your claims by buying certified or verified
green power products. If your organization is buying
green power, especially RECs, you should consider specify-
ing products that are independently certified and verified by
a third-party. Certification can provide credibility and con-
firmation of the product's environmental value. Verification
is based on an audit—independent of the provider—that
confirms that you get what was promised, both in quality
and in quantity. Audits ensure that no one else is making a
claim on the same environmental benefits.
7. Limit claims to indirect emissions. Your organization
should be careful when making claims of emissions reduc-
tions. If you are buying renewable electricity or RECs,
you are reducing your indirect emissions. Indirect emis-
sions are those resulting from electricity generation that an
organization buys from an electricity service provider. An
organization buying green power can claim to be reducing
its carbon footprint, but may not claim to be reducing its
total emissions to the atmosphere through a green power
purchase alone.
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership
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8. Avoid claiming emissions reductions not included in
your purchase. In emissions markets regulated by cap and
trade programs, such as with nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
sulfur oxides (SOx), your organization can claim an emis-
sion reduction only if it buys and retires emission allow-
ances. These allowances may be as part of, or separate from,
buying RECs.
9. Use the terms "REC" and "offset" correctly in your
claims. The term "offsets" has various definitions among
greenhouse gas registries and programs. Often, RECs are
not the same as offsets. In voluntary markets, offsets are
emissions reductions that are achieved through projects that
cause verifiable emissions reductions outside the scope of an
organization's direct or indirect emissions. In regulated cap
and trade programs, offsets can have a specific legal mean-
ing as a noun. Describe your purchase as avoiding emis-
sions, such as "This purchase of RECs avoids tons of
carbon dioxide (C02)."
10. Use Emissions & Generation Resources Integrated
Database (eGRID) utility sub region non-baseload
emissions rates when calculating carbon equivalencies
resulting from a green power purchase. eGRID is a com-
prehensive inventory of environmental attributes of electric
power systems. The preeminent source of air emission data
for the electric power sector, eGRID is based on available
plant-specific data for all U.S. electricity generating plants
that provide power to the electric grid and report data to
the U.S. government. eGRID contains air emission data
for NOx, sulfur dioxide, C02, and mercury. For assistance
using this data, please contact your EPA account man-
ager. For additional information please see www.epa.gov/
cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/index.html
11. Follow Federal Trade Commission and National Asso-
ciation of Attorneys General green marketing guidance.
These guides apply to environmental claims included in
labeling, advertising, promotional materials, and all other
forms of marketing, whether asserted directly or implied
through words, symbols, emblems, logos, depictions, prod-
uct brand names, or through any other means, including
marketing through digital or electronic means, such as the
Internet or electronic mail. The guides apply to any claim
about the environmental attributes of a product, package,
or service in connection with the sale, offering for sale, or
marketing of such product, package, or service for personal,
family, or household use, or for commercial, institutional,
or industrial use. For added information please see www.ftc.
gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm or www. eere.energy,
go v/gre enp o wer/b uying/pdfs/naag_0100.pdf.
How to Calculate Environmental Benefit Statements
To standardize and assist organizations in calculating environ-
mental benefits, the GPP has developed the Green Power Equiv-
alency Calculator (www.epa.gov/greenpower/pubs/ calculator,
htm). The equivalency calculator uses eGRID4 non-baseload
national average and subregion emissions rates.^ Organizations
should use the Green Power Equivalency Calculator to estimate
the avoided emissions of a green power purchase. Partner orga-
nizations can use EPA's Power Profiler to estimate the emissions
associated with their conventional power use. Power Profiler
uses an eGRID baseload emissions factors.
Partners buying green power generated from landfill gas or
wastewater treatment methane may claim the indirect green-
house gas emissions reductions from displacing conventional
electricity. Organizations should not claim greenhouse gas
emission reductions from the direct capture and destruction of
methane; such claims are not often conveyed through the as-
sociated RECs or green power purchase.
XVII. Partner Recognition
Green Power Partner Mark
Partners may use the EPA Green
Power Partner mark within the
limits described in the Partner Mark
Use Guidelines. Partners may use
the mark on websites, press releases, and general marketing
materials to show the organization's partnership with EPA. EPA
is available to review all uses of the Partner mark on Partner
communication materials.
The Partner Mark Use Guidelines outline how Partners should
use the Partner mark in promoting their partnership with EPA.
In all cases, please notify EPA when using the Partner mark.
The Partner Mark Use Guidelines are available at www.epa.gov/
greenpower/ documents/gpp_guidedoc_mark.pdf.
»EPA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNER
4 eGRID is the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that records average annual emission
rates (lbs./MWh) by power plant.The database can be used to show average emission rates by utility, state, region and nationally. It can be found atwww.epa.gov/
cleanenergy/egrid/index.htm
5 This would apply to claims of carbon reduction benefits that are not regulated by a cap and trade program. Note that claims about S02 emissions reduction may
not be made by renewable energy generators unless they have acquired and subsequently retire S02 emission allowances under the Acid Rain Program. Similarly,
providers and Partners must be very careful about making claims for NOX emission reductions, which are capped in some states and vary by time of year
10
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EPA's Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
For added information about using the Green Power Partner
mark, please contact Allison Dennis (dennis.allison@epa.gov).
National Top Partner Lists
Partners can earn placement on one or more of EPA's Top Part-
ner lists. EPA updates these lists quarterly. The update schedule
and Partner data deadlines are available on the Partnership
website at www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.
Placement on EPA's Top Partner Lists provides excellent oppor-
tunities for Partners to announce new or increased green power
purchases. EPA's Top Partner lists currently include:
• National Top 50 List
• Fortune 500® Green Power Partners
• Top 20 College & University List
• Top 20 K-12 Schools List
• Top 10 Federal Government List
• Top 20 Local Government List
• Top 20 Printers List
• Top 20 On-site Generation List
• Top 20 Retail List
• 100% Purchasers List
EPA reserves the right to retire or modify existing lists—or to
introduce new Top Partner lists—at any time.
Green Power Leadership Awards
The annual Green Power Leadership Awards recognize organiza-
tions and individuals that significantly advance the development
of green power resources and markets. The award nomination
period begins in the spring. Nominations are reviewed by EPA
and an independent panel of judges. The awards ceremony is
held in the fall at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference.
EPA recognizes winners in the following categories:
• On-site generation
• Green Power Purchasing (any product type less on-site)
• Green Power Community of the Year
• Partner of the Year
Winners must be EPA Green Power Partners in good standing.
For more details, visit the Awards page of the GPP website at
www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/index.htm.
XVIII. Partner Suspensions
EPA requires that Partners update their partnership and green
power purchase status annually. Each year, EPA will provide a
Partner Yearly Report to each Partner's primary contact on re-
cord. Failure to respond to or meet the Partnership's minimum
requirements will result in the Partner's suspension from the
program. EPA will attempt to contact non-responsive Partners
by e-mail before beginning the suspension process. Suspension
entails removal of the Partner from all GPP materials, includ-
ing the website. Suspended Partners must remove all mention of
partnership from their marketing materials and websites, includ-
ing all uses of the Green Power Partner mark.
XIX. Partnership Requirements Updates
EPA will continue to monitor the green power market and
propose revisions to Partnership requirements as necessary.
Requirements subject to review include, but are not limited
to, minimum purchase requirements, GPLC purchase require-
ments, "new " renewables requirements, vintage requirements,
and eligibility of renewable resources. EPA will provide Partners
and stakeholders with the opportunity to review and comment
on any significant updates or proposed changes to the Partner-
ship requirements.
XX. Contact EPA's Green Power Partnership
For questions about the GPP, please contact:
Blaine Collison (collison.blaine@epa.gov or 202-343-9139)
Allison Dennis (dennis.allison@epa.gov or 202-343-9526)
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EPA Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
Appendix A - Eligible Green Power Resources
The following is a detailed list of eligible renewable resources
that meet EPA's green power criteria:
1. Solar photovoltaics
2. Wind
3. Geothermal
4. Hydropower from new generation capacity on a non-
impoundment or new generation capacity on an existing
impoundment that meets one or more of the following
conditions
a. Hydropower facilities certified by the Low Impact
Hydropower Institute
b. Run-of-the-river hydropower facilities equal to or less
than 5 megawatts nameplate capacity
c. Hydropower facilities that consist of a turbine in a
pipeline or a turbine in an irrigation canal
EPA will consider new incremental capacity on an existing dam
on a case-by-case basis, where the "new" output is equal to or
less than 5 megawatts.
EPA will honor green power contracts in place before April 30,
2006 from hydropower installations of less than 30-megawatt
capacity until those contracts expire.
EPA will review and consider ocean-based or tidal generation
resources as warranted by technological, implementation and
market developments.
5. Biomass, i.e., solid, liquid, and gaseous forms from the fol-
lowing fuels:
a. All woody waste
b. All agricultural crops or waste
c. All animal and other organic waste
d. All energy crops
e. Landfill gas and wastewater methane
f. Municipal solid waste, which is eligible if it meets EPA
requirements for co-firing of biomass with non-renew-
ables (see Appendix B).
Biomass resources excluded from eligibility include:
a. Wood that has been coated with paints, plastics, or
formica
b. Wood that has been treated for preservation with
materials containing halogens, chlorine or halide com-
pounds like CCA-treated materials, or arsenic. (CCA =
chromated copper arsenate)
Qualified wood fuels may contain de minimis quantities (i.e.,
less than 1 percent of total wood fuel) of the above excluded
contaminates.
6. Biodiesel (B100) that is used to generate electricity is eli-
gible if the following conditions are met:
a. The biodiesel is separately measured (and verified) from
the petroleum diesel, and
b. Contracts are in place to allow a third party to verify
that the biodiesel was converted to electricity.
Only the amount of electricity generated from the biodiesel may
be counted as an eligible renewable resource.
7. Fuel cells are eligible when powered by hydrogen derived
from any of the eligible renewable resources identified
above.
6 Includes "black liquor" from pulp and paper processing, mill residues, industrial waste wood, and waste wood from woodworking or wood processing, so long
as the wood is not chemically treated or coated.
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EPA Green Power Partnership: Partnership Requirements
Appendix B - Co-firing of Eligible Biomass
1. Co-firing of eligible forms of biomass with non-renewables
is permitted if at least one of the following conditions is
met:
a. The facility is located in an electric system control area
that makes use of a generation tracking system (e.g.,
NEGIS, PJM-GATS, WREGIS) that is fully capable of
accurately measuring and reporting the differentiated
(i.e., biomass-fired and non-biomass-fired) electrical
output from the facility; or,
b. The biomass is in a gaseous or liquid state, is separately
metered and there are contracts in place to verify that
the biomass portion was converted to electricity; or,
Facilities that do not meet either of the criteria above may
be eligible subject to a case-by-case review by EPA. The
methodology presented to EPA must demonstrate that the
Btu value of the electrical output from the facility is attrib-
uted to the eligible biomass fuel. Some of the criteria that
EPA will consider in making its decision are:
a. Whether the facility was modified to accept biomass
fuel.
b. Whether an independent entity is involved in verifying
or determining the appropriate measurement.
c. Whether there is a way to determine and ensure that
the net electricity increment being sold as or considered
"renewable" can be attributed to eligible biomass fuel.
EPA would prefer a verification methodology that can
be applied universally.
Only the amount of electricity generated from the eligible bio-
mass may count towards the EPA criteria.
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A EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
OMB Control Number 2060-0578
Partnership Agreement | (
•3-EPA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNERSHIP
T
he EPA Green Power Partnership encourages the voluntary use of green power to reduce the
risk of climate change. Partners benefit from the use of green power, while supporting the
development of new, renewable energy in the United States.
By joining EPA's Green Power Partnership,
Partners commit to:
• Use green power that meets or exceeds Partnership require-
ments within six months of signing this Partnership Agreement.
• Report on green power use annually.
• Use the Green Power Partner mark in a manner that is consis-
tent with Partner mark use guidelines, available at www.epa.
gov/greenpower/documents/gpp_guidedoc_mark.pdf.
In return, EPA commits to:
• Provide public recognition.
• Provide procurement and communications assistance, as re-
quested by Partner.
• Provide a brief description of the Partner's green power commit-
ment on the Green Power Partnership Web site.
General Terms:
• Either party can terminate this agreement at any time without
prior notification or penalties and with no further obligation. EPA
will not comment publicly regarding the withdrawal of Partners.
• Partner agrees that the activities it undertakes connected with
this voluntary agreement are not intended to provide services
to the federal government and that the Partner will not seek
compensation from a federal agency.
• Partner agrees that it will not claim or imply that its participa-
tion in the Green Power Partnership constitutes EPA approval or
endorsement of anything other than its participation in the pro-
gram and will not make statements or imply that EPA endorses
the purchase or sale of the Partner's products and services or
the views of the Partner organization.
• EPA may post information about the Partner's green power use
publicly, but will honor all requests to keep the Partner's green
power data and/or electricity use confidential.
• EPA may periodically revise program benchmark levels or other
eligibility requirements.
Key Green Power Partnership Requirements
Your Organization's Baseload
If your annual electricity use is...
Green Power Partner
Requirements
You must, at a minimum, use this much
green power within six months of joining
Green Power Leadership Club
Requirements
You must, at a minimum, use this much
green power for your entire organization
> 100,000,001 kWh
3% of your use
30% of your use
10,000,001 - 100,000,000 kWh
1,000,001 - 10,000,000 kWh
^ 1,000,000 kWh
5% of your use
10% of your use
20% of your use
50% of your use
100% of your use
Not Applicable
Eligible green power includes electricity generated from solar, wind,
geothermal, biogas, and certain forms of biomass and hydropower.
Green power must be sourced from eligible U.S.-based generation
facilities.
Requirement can be met with any combination of green power
products (i.e., utility product, RECs, or on-site generation).
Partner purchases must be voluntary and incremental to the
renewable electricity included in the standard electricity service.
Requirements must be entirely met with power from "new"
renewable facilities (i.e., installed after 1/1/1997).
Partners may join organization-wide (U.S. operations only), at
the facility-level, or a logical aggregation of facilities less than
organization-wide.
More details are available in the Partnership Requirements Document, http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/documents/gpp_partnership_reqs.pdf
PLEASE FAX PAGE 2 OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT TO (202) 343-2208 OR E-MAIL TO collison.blaine@epa.gov (must be signed and scanned).
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Authorizing Official:
On behalf of
(Name of organization or entity)
Primary Contact:
Name:
Title:
Address:
City:
the undersigned understands and agrees to the terms of the Partnership.
State: Zip:
Phone:
E-mail:
Public Relations Contact (optional):
Name:
Title:
Address:
City:
State: Zip:
Phone:
E-mail:
Electricity and Green Power Information
Annual electricity use of participating entity:
Already using green power? ~ Yes ~ No
If yes, please provide the following information:
kWh / year
Purchasers of Green Power
Green power purchase:
Contract details
kWh /year
Start date:
End date (if applicable):
Green power resource mix
% biogas
% small hydro
% biomass
% solar
% geothermal
% wind
Product certification (third party):
~ Green-e ~ Not certified ~ Other
If other, by whom?
Name of green power providers):
Green power product name(s):
On-site Users of Green Power
Green power generation:
kWh /year*
Resource type: ~ biogas ~ biomass ~ geothermal
~ small hydro ~ solar ~ wind
Was the on-site unit installed after 1/1/97? ~ Yes ~ No
Installed capacity:
kW
Location of on-site generation (ZIP code):
Installation ownership: ~ self ~ other
If other, by whom?
" EPA will only count as green power kWh generated from on-site instal-
lations for which the participating entity owns the rights to the renew-
able energy credits (RECs).
Motivating factors behind your green power use (optional) (check all that apply)
~ support renewable energy development ~ EPA recognition & EPA procurement assistance
~ reduce carbon footprint ~ cost stability
~ demonstrate environmental leadership and improve image ~ LEED certification
~ other
The government estimates the average time needed to fill out this form is 4.9 hours and welcomes suggestions for reducing this level of effort. Send comments
(referencing OMB control number) to the Director, Collection Strategies Division, U.S. EPA (2822T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460.
PLEASE FAX PAGE 2 OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT TO (202) 343-2208 OR E-MAIL TO collison.blaine@epa.gov (must be signed and scanned).
Mk United States
jWU Environmental Protection
hI Agency
C-2
EPA-430-K-05-013
www.epa.gov/greenpower
December 2010
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Partner Yearly Report
Email or fax the corrected Yearly Report to:
Blaine Collison
Phone: (202) 343-9139
Email: collison.blaine@epa.gov
Fax: (202) 343-2208
The Green Power Partnership asks Partners to provide information annually on green power usage as it relates
to program commitments. Please update your organization's information below. If possible, use the "track
changes" feature found on the Tools menu in MS Word. Send the revised Partner Yearly Report to your
account manager identified above. Please contact your account manager with any questions.
Green Power Partner Name
Our Organizational Liaison
Our Public Relations Liaison
Name:
Title:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Ph:
Fax:
Email:
Commitment Details
Partnership Agreement Date (i.e. date that we joined
partnership):
Yearly Report Date (i.e. today's date):
Our Total Annual Electricity Consumption:*
Our Annual Green Power Commitment:
Our Green Power Commitment as a % of our total electricity
consumption:
Our minimum commitment level for the Green Power
Partnership based on our organization's size:
Our green power product's % of "new" renewables (as a % of
the total green power purchase):
*Note: 1 MWh = 1,000 kWh
Purchase Details:
Our Green Power Retailer(s) is:
Our Green Power Product name (if applicable) is:
Our Green Power Product is certified by a 3rd party?
Delivered electricity product (green pricing program)
Delivered electricity product (green marketing program)
Renewable energy credits (tags, green certificates)
On-site generation (e.g. photovoltaics on our facilities)
Green Power Product Source Information
Our Green Power Product includes the following mix of renewable resources:
Solar
Biogas
Wind
Biomass
Geothermal
Hydro
D-l
c/EPA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNERSHIP*
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u
GREEN Partner Snapshot
POWER Email or fax the completed Snapshot to:
PARTNERSHIP" Account Manager
Phone
Email
Fax
The Green Power Partnership is updating the list of all Green Power Partners on its website at
www.eDa.aov/areenDower.
All Green Power Partners have the opportunity to have a Partner Snapshot on the website. The Partner
Snapshot is a short paragraph that describes briefly a Partner's organization, its decision to purchase green
power, and its experience to date with green power.
If you would like to create a new (or revise your existing) Partner Snapshot, please answer the Partner
Snapshot Interview Questions below.
Snapshot:
Organization's Website:
Organization's Green Power
Related Web site (e.g.
environmental page or press
release about purchase):
Partner Snapshot Interview Questions
If you would like to create a new (or revise your existing) Partner Snapshot, please answer the Partner
Snapshot Interview Questions below. Your answers will be used to develop a Snapshot paragraph, which
you will able to approve prior to its addition to the website. Please add any additional information relevant
to your purchase.
1. Please provide a brief description of your organization (e.g., 25 words or less).
2. What is your organization's green power commitment?
3. What was the driver behind your organization's commitment?
4. Any lessons learned during your green power commitment process you would like to share with others?
5. What are the biggest benefits that have accrued to your organization since your commitment?
6. Can you provide a quote from about the benefits of green power for your organization? (For example, a
quote from senior decision maker at your organization.)
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