Top 7 Green Corporations of 2010

Cutting up the credit cards is probably the greenest thing anyone could do but sometimes, buying new stuff—or patronizing a favorite restaurant—is necessary. When those times come, there's no reason to feel guilty—especially when choosing a company that respects the environment as much as the bottom line.
Last year, Greenopia ran through dozens of companies in a variety of categories to compile a trusty list of the greenest corporations, by category, of 2010. Of course, it's already 2011, but in the coming months these will be the places to go for shopping needs—and the model for any up-and-coming top green corporation.
Check out what companies took the top spot in their category in 2010:

Ikea
With over $28 billion in annual sales, Ikea proves you can be a large chain and pursue sustainability in an aggressive way.
71% of all IKEA products are recyclable, made from recycled materials, or both. The company recycles 84% of the waste generated in its stores while almost half of Ikea's energy comes from renewable sources.

Patagonia
Patagonia, the environmentally and socially responsible clothing manufacturer, is often cited as one of the greenest companies in the US.

Their products are made with recycled and low-impact materials and they've greened their offices and distribution network. Patagonia has even gone as far as to provide life cycle analysis for several of its products.

Pizza Fusion
Lovers of green pizza rejoice. Pizza Fusion not only offers all organic pizzas but have implemented green measures across the board.

Many of their spaces are LEED certified, employees wear organic cotton uniforms, deliveries are made by hybrid vehicles and best of all Pizza Fusion has a cool return incentive -- return a used pizza box and get a discount next time.

Honest Tea
Honest Tea is natural, organic, and fair trade. Greenopia calls them greenest large beverage company around.

Here's why:

From efficient production to energy usage offsets, green building design to the lightweight plastic bottles free of hazardous chemicals, Honest Tea sets the bar for green beverages everywhere.

Honda
The winner of the "drive" category was producing hybrids way before the Prius, Honda led the way for mainstream hybrids with the release of the Insight in 1999.

With an average fleet mileage of 25.81 miles per gallon, that's right Honda has one best overall scores a of any car company with 10 or more models. This complements their Civic hybrid and Honda Insight and many more hybrids in the works.

Virgin
With Richard Branson at its helm, it's not surprising Virgin gets top honors as the greenest airline in Greenopia's guide.

Virgin's modern fleet of planes are very efficient in emissions and their specially designed winglets lead to better fuel efficiency. Virgin has tested several planes powered solely by biofuels and its headquarters is LEED certified.

Dell
Dell is one of the largest computer companies in the world and it's making efforts to become the greenest.
Dell has a large number of EPEAT certified products and considers the products' life cycle during production. Dell also has a comprehensive take-back program—recycling its own products for free and accepting other brands for a small fee.

Biggest Solar Installation in World to be Built in South Africa

South Africa is to unveil plans this week for what it claims will be the world's biggest solar power plant—a radical step in a coal-dependent country where one in six people still lacks electricity.

The project, expected to cost up to 200 billion rand ($28.9 billion), would aim by the end of its first decade to achieve an annual output of five gigawatts (GW) of electricity—currently one-tenth of South Africa's energy needs.

Giant mirrors and solar panels would be spread across the Northern Cape province, which the government says is among the sunniest 3 percent of regions in the world with minimal cloud or rain.

The government hopes the solar park will help reduce carbon emissions from Africa's biggest economy, which is still more than 90 percent dependent on coal-fired power stations. In April, the World Bank came in for sharp criticism from environmentalists for approving a $3.75 billion loan to build one of the world's largest coal-fired power plants in the country.

Energy is already a high priority in South Africa where, at the end of racial apartheid, less than 40 percent of households had electricity. Over 16 years the governing African National Congress has undertaken a huge national expansion, with a recent survey showing that 83 percent are now connected, but power outages are still not uncommon in both townships and middle-class suburbs.

An estimated 200 foreign and domestic investors will meet this week in Upington, Northern Cape, with a view to funding the hugely ambitious solar project. A master plan will be set out by the U.S. engineering and construction group Fluor. This follows a viability study by the Clinton Climate Initiative, which described South Africa's "solar resource" as among the best in the world.

Jonathan de Vries, the project manager, said today: "I'd hate to make a large claim but yes, this would be the biggest solar park in the world."

De Vries said the park, costing 150–200 billion rand ($21.7 billion to $28.9 billion), would aim to be contributing to the national grid by the end of 2012. In the initial phase it would produce 1,000 megawatts, or 1GW, using a mix of the latest solar technologies.

An initial 9,000 hectares of state-owned land have been earmarked for the park, with further sites in the "solar corridor" being explored.

De Vries, a special adviser to the energy minister, said the Northern Cape had been chosen forinsolation readings (a measure of solar energy) that rank among the highest in the world. "It hardly ever rains, it hardly has clouds. It's even better than the Sahara desert because it doesn't have sandstorms."

The Orange River would provide water for the facilities, he added, while existing power transmission lines would be closer than for similar projects such as in Australia.

Northern Cape, which contains the historic diamond-rush town, Kimberley, is South Africa's biggest province and one of its poorest. But it is hoped that the park would create a "solar hub" and regenerate the local economy with fresh opportunities in manufacturing.

South Africa currently consumes 45–48GW of power per year. It is estimated this will double over the next 25 years. "In South Africa over 90 percent of our power comes from the burning of coal, and we need to reduce this because of our international obligations on climate change," de Vries said.

"If this proves to be cost competitive with coal and nuclear, the government will roll out more solar parks. This is a very bold attempt."

He added: "Solar power isn't a panacea that will cure all, but it's a part of the solution, and a very important part. There are zones in the world that are ideally suited to it, often those with low population density."

Can Renewables Hold Their Price as Fossil Fuels Get Expensive?

As gas prices rose, we all started salivating at the prospect of renewable, made-from-waste biofuels that were cheaper than dyno-diesel. Unfortunately, as soon as the price did drop below the average forecourt price, the co-op was immediately inundated with new bargain hunting members and the pumps were drained dry. When prices switched back, the cheap fuel lovers disappeared. The result, unfortunately, was a policy to peg the co-op's prices as always being just above those of regular diesel.

But all this does not mean that renewables must always remain more expensive than so-called conventional energy. As demand rises, supply is constrained, but that should lead to more investment in more supply. As production capacity increases accordingly, we should then see economiesof scale ensuring cheaper and cheaper renewables, even as gas and coal prices keep going up.

Some folks are arguing, for example, that solar could reach grid parity as soon as 2015. (Others are arguing that focusing on grid parity is entirely the wrong question.)

That's why the announcement from Good Energy—the 100% renewable energy provider that was previously in a public row with wind pioneers Ecotricity—that they would maintain a winter price freeze as other utilities hike their rates had me pricking my ears:

"The move to hold prices down demonstrates Good Energy's commitment to ensure that green energy is more accessible. The 100% renewable electricity supplier hopes this will encourage consumers to switch to greener energy as the price differential with many fossil-fuel-based suppliers is reduced, especially since three of the Big 6 have recently announced price hikes."

Whether or not this price freeze represents a permanent narrowing of the gap between conventional electricity and newer, less polluting sources—or whether it is a clever, but temporary, marketing move to grab more customers and harness the outrage at price rises—remains to be seen. But anything that helps drive customers, and investment, into the development of wind, solar and tidal energy can only be a good thing in my book. I'm just hoping those customers stick around if prices rise again in the future.