Which Companies Use the Most Green Energy?
Green energy was once a niche segment of the wider energy industry, but it’s quickly becoming an essential energy source in many regions and nations across the globe.
Based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this infographic by SolarPower.Guide shows the top 50 greenest companies, based on the highest proportion of green energy used in their overall consumption mix.
Leaders in Green Energy Use
As green energy becomes more affordable, some major businesses like Google, Wells Fargo, and Apple are embracing it in a big way.
It also helps that institutional investors are nudging companies in that direction anyways, especially as they become more focused on incorporating environment, social and governance (ESG) into their portfolios.
Here are the top 15 U.S. companies that use the highest percentage of green energy:
| Rank | Company | Green Power use | Annual Green Power Use (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. | 139% | 91,843,084 |
| #2 | Voya Financial | 120% | 40,000,000 |
| #3 | BNY Mellon | 113% | 268,000,000 |
| #4 | Sephora | 112% | 112,323,000 |
| #5 | Bank of America | 109% | 1,855,505,589 |
| #6 | Church & Dwight Co. | 107% | 159,445,000 |
| #7 | Google LLC | 106% | 7,492,567,647 |
| #8 | The Hartford Financial Services Group | 106% | 68,835,000 |
| #9 | Wells Fargo | 105% | 1,843,545,975 |
| #10 | Equinix | 104% | 2,360,296,352 |
| #11 | State Street Corp. | 104% | 158,991,503 |
| #12 | Aldi | 103% | 984,430,521 |
| #13 | Apple Inc. | 101% | 2,202,581,271 |
| #14 | Starbucks | 101% | 1,119,392,000 |
| #15 | TD Bank | 101% | 210,209,954 |
Note: The values reflect the amount of green power as a percentage of a company’s total electricity use. Companies that purchase green power exceeding their total organization-wide electricity use will show a value greater than 100%.
Green Energy vs. Renewable Energy
The term “green energy” is often met with confusion by some and is sometimes just referred to as “renewables” by others. So, what is green energy, and how is it different from other sources of renewable energy?
Green energy is a subset of renewable energy and represents those energy sources and technologies that provide the highest environmental benefit. The EPA defines green power as electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources.
Other renewable types of energy exist, but may not be considered fully green, at least as the EPA defines it. For example, while massive hydro projects provide a renewable source of energy, they can also have big impact on the environment. Same goes for non-eligible biomass—a category which includes biomass that may not be close to carbon-neutral.
Climate Commitments
In addition to the use of green power for operations, major companies are also looking at the bigger picture and setting targets to achieve carbon neutrality.
Here are a few of the major companies that have made climate commitments in the near future:
| Company | Commitment | By Year |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2030 |
| Ikea | Climate Positive | 2030 |
| Burger King | Net Zero Operations | 2030 |
| Microsoft | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2030 |
| BBC | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2030 |
| Net Zero Value Chain | 2030 | |
| Verizon | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2035 |
| Unilever | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2039 |
| Pepsi Co. | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2040 |
| BP | Net Zero Carbon Emission | 2050 |
This will undoubtedly impact their overall consumption and the energy mix in the years to come.
