Apple Inc. (AAPL), Intel Corporation (INTC) & Ten Companies Pioneering Green Energy Usage

Whole Foods has solar systems at 16 locations, with 20 more on the way. The company also has four locations with a fuel cell. Perhaps more importantly, Whole Foods has initiated energy efficiency upgrades to its facilities that save upwards of 20 million kilowatt hours every year. You can read about the minimum efficiency standards it uses in new construction here, and the extreme importance of energy efficiency here.

Staples is one of those big-box stores that make people nervous, but it’s making all the right moves from an energy perspective. The company has 36 on-site solar installations and has made incredibly impressive efforts to cut energy use, including a 11.3% companywide reduction in energy intensity, and a 66% reduction in carbon emissions from its 2001 baseline.

Starbucks’ company-owned stores are focused on efficiency and supporting the green power market. The company’s goal is to purchase RECs to cover 100% of its stores’ electricity use by 2015. It is currently at the 70% mark.

Lockheed Martin is quickly making its name as a player in the energy space. It’s on the EPA’s list because it’s constructing energy-efficient buildings and constructing on-site renewable projects. It’s on my list because in an effort to diversify its business mix outside of government contracts, it’s stepping up its energy innovation projects in a big way.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) generates 16% of its energy use on-site. It also purchases energy via RECs and through partnerships with utilities. It is perhaps the most proactive when it comes to pushing for green energy development, pursuing projects that need Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s involvement to be developed and brought to market in the first place. The company recently announced that 75% of its corporate facilities and data centers are powered by renewables.

Foolish takeaway
These companies aren’t going green to do us a favor, Fools. There are powerful business forces at work here. As investors, knowing which companies are making efforts to cut down energy costs and improve efficiency gives us a head start in our research to find innovative, forward-thinking investment opportunities. This is just the first wave; expect more and more companies to focus on greener, cleaner energy going forward.

The article 10 Companies Pioneering Green Energy Usage originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Aimee Duffy owns shares of Starbucks. If you have the energy, follow her on Twitter where she goes by @TMFDuffy. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Intel, Starbucks, and Whole Foods Market and owns shares of Apple, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Staples, Starbucks, and Whole Foods Market.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.