EPA Recognizes Duquesne for Leading Green Power Purchase

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Duquesne University to its Top 30 College and University list of the largest green power users.

Duquesne, which was ranked at No. 30, is using more than 18 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 49 percent of the University’s electricity use. The University is buying renewable energy certificates from Direct Energy, which demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

“The University is proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for purchase of Green Power,” said Rod Dobish, executive director of facilities management. “We continue to be committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and the purchase of green power is one of our strategies to assist with protecting the environment.”

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass and low-impact hydro. Purchases of green power help to accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

“We congratulate Duquesne University for using renewable energy and taking a leadership position on the environment,” said Blaine Collison, director of EPA’s Green Power Partnership. “Duquesne University’s impressive green power commitment helps to reduce carbon pollution and provides an excellent example for other colleges and universities.”

According to the U.S. EPA, Duquesne’s green power purchase of more than 18 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of nearly 3,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of nearly 2,000 average American homes annually.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,500 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.