April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Computer-chip manufacturer Intel Corp., soft-drink maker PepsiCo. Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. department stores are leading the U.S. in “green” power purchasing, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

Intel, for the second year in a row, is the biggest buyer of renewable power by volume, the EPA said in a statement today. The company, based in Santa Clara, California, is purchasing renewable energy equal to 46 percent of its electricity use.

Buying power generated from wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable sources reduces greenhouse-gas emissions associated with traditional energy sources such as coal-mining. The top 50 buyers are purchasing more than 11 billion kilowatt- hours of green power a year. That equals the carbon-dioxide emissions from electricity use of more than 1.1 million average U.S. homes, the EPA said.

“One of the things we are trying to do is accelerate the pace of renewables deployment across the U.S. because it’s emissions-free,” said Blaine Collison, director of the EPA’s green power partnership program.

Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, is purchasing more than 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours of green power. PepsiCo is buying 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours, equivalent to all of its electricity use. Kohl’s ranks third, with 601 million-kilowatt hours, or 50 percent of its energy use.

Among the other top corporate green-energy purchasers are computer maker Dell Inc., natural-food store chain Whole Foods Market Inc., drug and medical-device maker Johnson & Johnson and Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s largest maker of networking equipment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Dodge in Washington, at Cdodge1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 27, 2009 14:58 EDT