When it comes to incorporating renewable energy into the business world, the big players make the biggest contributions. From Intel to PepsiCo, Mohawk Paper to Food Lion grocery stores, and school districts around the country – these big hitters should be considered the energy all-stars of the clean energy world.

Certification programs such as Green-e and Energy Star are important because they provide validity to organizations striving to become more energy-efficient and gives them marketing and bragging rights.

Energy Star’s Leaders program consists of organizations that are recognized for energy efficiency milestones in buildings they own and manage, such as achieving energy savings of at least 10, 20 or 30 percent. In 2008, Energy Star recognized 26 organizations for reaching higher levels of achievement than in earlier years. These include school districts across the country, hospitals, grocery stores and hotels.

But for organizations that cannot purchase renewable energy direct from their utility company or directly from a renewable energy supplier, their third alternative is to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs), also known as green tags or renewable energy credits. These RECs are given to providers of renewable energy for each megawatt-hour of electricity generated, and are then sold on the open market.

2008 saw record voluntary purchases of renewable energy credits in the Green-e Marketplace program, with Intel purchasing the biggest chunk of renewable energy in history (1.3 million megwatt-hour) in January, PepsiCo coming in second and Mohawk Paper ranking third in purchases.

This practice is gaining momentum, with green power sales increasing more than 50 percent in 2007 and REC sales up 55 percent, according to the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Green-E Energy certified 69 percent of the voluntary renewable energy market in 2007, and the total purchases of RECs in the Green-e Marketplace exceeded 2.8 million megawatt hours in 2008. NREL reported in its latest edition of Green Power Marketing in the United States that such purchases account for more than half of green power market sales.

These businesses and certification programs deserve a whole lotta praise for playing the renewable energy game and making a big contribution to the energy marketplace.