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Oregon State University is the largest buyer of green power in Corvallis and recently earned recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency as the second-largest purchaser of any university in the United States.

The EPA defines three ways of purchasing green power: renewable energy certificates, on-site generation and utility green power products.

OSU purchased renewable energy certificates from Bonneville Environmental Foundation to deliver 95,409 megawatt hours of wind energy to the campuses. Nearly one hundred percent of the electricity used on the Corvallis and Bend campuses will come from wind energy in 2011.

In its agreement with BEF, the university requires that at least 20 percent of the wind comes from Oregon, but the rest is purchased from national wind energy sources.

The certificates cost about $430,000, which was paid for by student fees in the past. Last year, the students voted to instead invest their fees in on-campus energy systems.

鈥淭he students wanted to see their dollars going toward a tangible result,鈥� said Brandon Trelstad, OSU’s sustainability coordinator. 鈥淭hey wanted to see a physical, infrastructural change on the campus. It’s more expensive to spend locally rather than in the national market, but the students felt strongly, so that’s what we did.鈥�

This year, the student fees will go toward a solar project that will power the water heating system in the Dixon Recreational Center. The administration agreed to pick up the bill for the 2011 renewable energy certificates.

Green power purchasing is part of OSU’s plan to become climate neutral by 2025.