Santa Clara Green Power Receives Prestigious EPA/DOE Green Power Leadership Award – Second Year in a Row

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For a second year in a row, Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the City of Santa Clara’s municipal electric utility, has won a Green Power Leadership Award, a highly competitive program organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Resource Solutions. Last year, SVP was honored in the New Green Power Program category; this recent award is for Green Power Program of the Year for SVP’s 100 percent renewable energy option, Santa Clara Green Power.

SVP is one of only two companies receiving the elite award this year; four other companies took home a Green Power Leadership Award in two other categories, which recognize leading national green power suppliers for their commitment and contribution to the development of the nation’s green power market. The program singled out SVP for its exemplary green power program based on program growth, customer participation, green power sales, and overall value to its customers.

City of Santa Clara Mayor Patricia Mahan accepted the award last night during a celebratory dinner honoring the winners at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia, held in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Marketing Conference.

The combined green power supplied by these leading organizations amounts to more than five billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 465,000 average American households each year. Overall, retail sales of renewable energy to consumers making voluntary purchases totaled about 12 billion kilowatt-hours in 2006. That represents an increase of 40 percent over last year’s sales numbers.

Introduced in 2004, Santa Clara Green Power is a combination of wind and solar power generated by newly created wind farms and solar photovoltaic facilities in California. Since its inception, the program has attracted 8.5 percent participation – well on its way to achieving a goal of 10 percent penetration by the end of the year – a challenge from the City of Santa Clara City Council.

“We are honored to receive such a prestigious award sponsored by three important organizations in the energy field,” says John Roukema, Acting Director of SVP. “Our Santa Clara Green Power program owes its great success to teamwork – a partnership between SVP, the City of Santa Clara and its many customers. This teamwork has brought some of the highest renewable power content in California to all our customers, and the opportunity to choose 100 percent renewable power through this fast-growing, voluntary program.”

Among Santa Clara Green Power’s 150 business customers are large, high-profile companies, such as Cisco Systems, Agilent Technologies, Applied Materials, National Semiconductor, Terremark and Yahoo!, along with Santa Clara University and the City of Santa Clara.

Participation in Santa Clara Green Power costs customers only a penny and a half per kilowatt-hour (1.5 cents/kWh) above the standard electricity rate – one of the lowest rates in the country. Businesses may purchase renewable green power for 100 percent of their energy use or buy blocks of 1,000 kilowatt-hours for $15 each.

Proceeds from Santa Clara Green Power not only support large-scale renewable projects but also community solar projects in highly visible locations, such as schools and non-profit senior centers, adding a community-wide spirit to an already successful effort.

The average Santa Clara Green Power participant prevents 5,640 pounds of carbon dioxide and harmful particulates into the atmosphere every year, which translates into environmental and air quality benefits equivalent to planting 380 trees or not driving a car for six months.

About Silicon Valley Power

Silicon Valley Power is the trademark adopted for use by the century-old Electric Department of the City of Santa Clara, California. Silicon Valley Power provides power for more than 50,000 customers, including Applied Materials, Intel, National Semiconductor, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo!, at rates 25 to 45 percent below neighboring communities. SVP also offers customers a 100 percent renewable energy option through its Santa Clara Green Power program and is an active participant in the wholesale energy markets in the Western United States. Visit www.siliconvalleypower.com for more information.