US business purchased record amounts of renewable energy in 2008. The San Francisco based Center for Resource Solution, a non-profit organization promoting climate change solutions, reports that participants bought more than 2.8 million megawatt-hour (MWh) last year. The greatest purchase was made by Intel Corp. The company bought 1.3 million megawatt-hour (MWh), gaining the right to use the Center for Resource Solution’s Green-e logo. PepsiCo was the second-biggest buyer of renewable energy.
“Buying renewable energy for nearly 50% of our U.S operation was an important element of our continuing, multifaceted efforts to support clean energy and the environment, which includes conservation, pilot solar installations and renewable electric supplies”, said Marty Sedler, Director of Global Utilities and Infrastructure at Intel.
A report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a part of the U.S Department of Energy , finds that consumer decisions to purchase electricity supplied by renewable energy sources is a powerful market support mechanism, able to raise awareness of renewable energy and provide revenue for renewable energy projects.
