Yesterday, the EPA released its Top 25 list of green power purchasers for 2008. Wells Fargo claimed the number one spot, buying 550 million kilowatt hours in certified renewable energy. This marks the first time in the program’s history that a private corporation topped the list. As outlined in the press release,

After Wells Fargo & Company, Whole Foods Market ranks second and the U.S. Air Force ranks third. The U.S. EPA ranks fourth, with Johnson & Johnson rounding out the top five. Newcomers to the list include Cisco Systems Inc., New York University, Carbonfund.org, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Kohl’s Department Stores.

EPA’s Top 25 green power purchasers are buying more than 4 billion kilowatt-hours of green power on an annual basis. This is equivalent to the energy needed to power more than 350,000 average American homes each year.

The EPA Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the use of electricity from fossil fuels and to diversify America’s fuel supply. The partnership is comprised of a diverse set of organizations including Fortune 500 companies, small and medium businesses, government institutions as well as colleges and universities.

(To see who else made the top 25, view the press release.)

Organizations that participate in the Green Power Partnership may meet EPA purchase requirements in a variety of ways: (1) Buying renewable energy credits (RECs), (2) Installing capacity for on-site generation (e.g., solar PV or on-site wind systems), (3) Buying utility green power products, (4) Implementing any combination thereof. Check out Wells Fargo’s EPA partner profile for more information.

It’ll be interesting to see how the program does this year. Given the deteriorating economy, I wouldn’t be surprised if companies scale back their purchases of green power. On the other hand, the premuims for qualified renewable electricity aren’t THAT exorbitant. Plus, no one wants to be seen backing out of a market that’s increasingly viewed as integral to securing America’s energy future and rebuilding our economy, do they? Doubts? Thoughts? Prognostications?