Guide to Purchasing Green Power

The Guide to Purchasing Green Power is an excellent starting place for organizations interested in buying green power. The guide provides information about the green power procurement process, different green power supply options, and benefits of green power purchasing, as well as information on how to capture the greatest benefit from your purchase.

First published in 2004 and previously revised in 2010, this latest version (2018) of the guide provides an overview of green power markets and describes the necessary steps to procure green power. The guide is the product of a cooperative effort between EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the World Resources Institute, the Center for Resource Solutions, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

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• Guide to Purchasing Green Power (Complete) (pdf) (7.09 MB)
• Summary (pdf) (580.91 KB)
• 1. Introduction (pdf) (348.24 KB)
• 2. Introducing Green Power (pdf) (357.36 KB)
• 3. The Benefits and Costs of Green Power (pdf) (491.72 KB)
• 4. Green Power Product Options (pdf) (363.04 KB)
• 5. Using Organizational Goals to Guide Green Power Purchases (pdf) (433.85 KB)
• 6. Contracting for Green Power (pdf) (411.07 KB)
• 7. Planning a Self-Generation Renewable Project (pdf) (374.92 KB)
• 8. Capturing the Benefits of the Purchase (pdf) (767.57 KB)
• 9. Conclusion (pdf) (357.57 KB)
• 10. Resources for Additional Information (pdf) (577.18 KB)
• Glossary (pdf) (333.54 KB)
• Appendix A. Green Power Considerations for Federal Agencies (pdf) (479.06 KB)
• Appendix B. Commercial Solar Financing Options (pdf) (1.67 MB)
• Appendix C. Purchasing Renewable Energy as a Residential Customer (pdf) (449.59 KB)