The U.S. Department of Energy has announced four companies will be recognized during the Green Power Leadership Awards for their commitment to programs that allow consumers to purchase clean, green energy options, while also integrating sustainable energy strategies that make good business sense.

As part of the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver this week, DOE along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) are honoring 25 leading corporations, renewable energy suppliers and industry pioneers for helping advance the nation's green power markets.

The goal of green power programs is to provide market-based options for consumers to purchase power from environmentally preferred sources.

DOE's 2008 Green Power Supplier Award winners are: AmerenUE (St. Louis, Mo.), New Green Power Program or Company; City of Palo Alto Utilities (Palo Alto, Calif.), Small Residential/Commercial Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year; 3Degrees (San Francisco, Calif.) and Sterling Planet (Norcross, Ga.), Large Commercial/Institutional Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year.

"DOE selected these organizations for their leadership in helping our nation grow its market for clean energy alternatives for businesses and consumers," said DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Steve Chalk. "Consumer purchases of renewable energy help diversify our energy supplies, strengthen our national security, and reduce global environmental impacts. Currently, more than 850 utility suppliers, or about 25 percent nationally, offer green power programs to customers, and through the combination of utility green pricing and competitive retail markets, green power is available in almost every state."

New Green Power Program or Company: (AmerenUE)

This award recognizes green power programs or companies judged as "most successful" in the marketplace based on both quantitative criteria, such as customer participation and green power sales, and qualitative criteria, such as overall value provided to customers. A new program or product is defined as being first offered in January 2007 or later.

Built on a grassroots approach, AmerenUE offers one of the largest green-pricing programs in the Midwest, where program marketing and education have enhanced its immediate success. The utility surpassed 17 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of renewable energy sales at the end of May. About 4,000 customers in the St. Louis area participate in AmerenUE's Pure Power program and purchase renewable energy at an extra cost of 1.5 cents per kwh above standard electric rates. The rapid growth in customer participation in the program has resulted from the program's extensive outreach efforts to develop commercial business partnerships.

Small Residential/Commercial Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year: (City of Palo Alto Utilities)

This award recognizes renewable energy programs or suppliers who play a prominent role in supplying renewable energy to residential and small commercial customers in voluntary green power markets. Small customers are defined as annual electricity usage of less than one million kwh.

The City of Palo Alto Utilities draws renewable energy from 100 percent new, local and regional wind and solar projects that have come online since 2005. Since launching its program five years ago, annual sales have consistently increased and are expected to reach 59 million kwh in 2008, with a customer participation rate of 20.4 percent, the highest rate in the nation.

Large Commercial/Institutional Green Power Program or Supplier of the Year: (3Degrees; Sterling Planet)

This award recognizes renewable energy programs or suppliers demonstrating leadership, growth and success in supplying and marketing renewable energy to large commercial customers in voluntary green power markets.

3Degrees supports a large, high quality portfolio of renewable energy projects in 23 states from wind, solar, landfill gas, geothermal and biomass resources. It serves more than 250 national and international business customers, including five utilities in California, Oregon and Missouri. Annual sales recently reached 4 billion kwh, and the company serves six of the top 15 corporate purchasers nationally. 3Degrees supports more than 1.1 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by marketing renewable energy options, such as renewable energy certificates (REC) and carbon offsets, to its customers.

Sterling Planet offers RECs and low-carbon solutions from domestic and international projects. The company supports a wide variety of clean energy technologies, such as wind, landfill gas, biogas, biomass, hydroelectric and solar. Thirteen of the nation's top 25 renewable energy purchasers have partnered with Sterling Planet. Also served are 1,496 business customers, 86 utilities, 56 colleges and universities, 174 government clients and thousands of residential customers. The company's annual REC sales recently totaled 4.5 billion kwh.

DOE's overarching mission is enhancing national security. The priorities of the department's energy programs are to increase domestic energy production, revolutionize our approach to energy conservation and efficiency, and promote the development of renewable and energy efficiency technologies.