Dive Brief:
- Energy Intelligence (EI) has released its global rankings of the world's top 100 green utilities and in the United States, NextEra ranked fourth with Exelon and Berkshire Hathaway Energy also making the top 20, Smart Grid News reports.
- The rankings were calculated based on each company's carbon emissions per megawatt hour, renewable energy capacity, and share of renewables compared to the utility's total capacity.
- The top-ranked company was Acciona, a Spanish independent power producer with 100% renewable energy capacity. Six European firms landed in the top 10, and a half dozen Chinese firms are among the 10 biggest owners of renewable capacity, EI said.
Dive Insight:
Energy Intelligence's annual top-100 list of green utilities names three U.S. companies in the top 20, though a couple scored near the bottom as well.
"Most companies at the bottom of the ranking are located in coal- or oil-producing countries," EI said. Ameren and American Electric Power fared poorly in the rankings, as did Qatar's Kahramaa, Russia's Mosenergo, and others in Turkey, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia and Poland.
Renewable energy made up almost 80% of all capacity added last year by the companies on the list.
“Despite uncertainty surrounding carbon pricing, power generators around the globe are adding substantial renewable electricity capacity into their portfolios,” Lauren Craft, editor of EI New Energy, said in a statement.
Top-ranked Acciona is an independent power producer with 100% renewable energy capacity. Its first time in the rankings, EI noted the company "holds a distinctive position -- its origins are in construction and engineering, not conventional energy, and it sees renewables as a strong, stable financial bet."
Six European companies made the top 10. In addition to Acciona, they include: Iberdrola, EDP, Enel, EDF and Dong Energy. Six Chinese firms are among the 10 biggest owners of renewable capacity: China Guodian, China Huaneng, China Datang, CPI, CGN and China Huadian.
