Northwestern University is one of three Big 10 schools recognized on the EPA's April list of top green power purchasers among colleges and universities. Northwestern was ranked 7th on the list, joined by Ohio State University (3rd) and the University of Wisconsin (13th). Northwestern was also ranked 56th overall among all green power purchasers.
Northwestern receives 38% of its total electricity use from green power, up 7% from January 2013. Northwestern purchases renewable energy certificates from 3Degrees, which helps to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the University’s electricity use. In addition, Northwestern is generating green power from an onsite renewable energy system, a solar photovoltaic array covering nearly the entire available roof of the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center. Northwestern's Office of Sustainability is also exploring new opportunities to use cogeneration and geothermal systems on campus.
Northwestern has been ranked among the top 10 institutions of higher education by the EPA each year since 2007. Though Northwestern briefly fell out of the top 10 in January 2013, it returned to the top 10 in April after increasing its renewable energy use to 37%. In total, Northwestern uses over 96 million kWh of green power annually, roughly equivalent to the electricity use of 33,000 average American homes.
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,500 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.
For more information about EPA’s College and University Green Power Partnerships, visit their website.