PepsiCo makes huge green-power purchase

Beverage maker now the top renewable energy buyer in the U.S.

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updated 6:24 p.m. ET April 30, 2007

PURCHASE, N.Y. - Snack and beverage maker PepsiCo Inc. is promising to go green in a major way.

The company said Monday it had topped the Environmental Protection Agency's list of green power buyers, following a pledge to purchase enough renewable energy certificates to match the amount of electricity it uses for all of its U.S.-based manufacturing facilities, as well as its headquarters, distribution centers and regional offices.

The maker of Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay snacks and other goodies said the three-year purchase is made up of more than 1 billion kilowatt hours annually. Based on national average emission rates, PepsiCo said that amount is equal to the electricity needed to power about 90,000 average American homes annually.

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PepsiCo is partnering with Sterling Planet, a renewable energy provider, to find and buy the certificates. Renewable energy comes from wind, solar and other sustainable sources.

The pledge makes PepsiCo No. 1 on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of the top 25 green power purchasers. The company also is now a member of the agency's Green Power Partnership, which is made up of companies that voluntarily buy green power.

Wells Fargo & Co. ranked No. 2 on the EPA's Green Power Partners list, followed by Whole Foods Market and the U.S. Air Force.