By 2023, some General Motors facilities in Michigan will run on 100% renewables
GM and energy supplier DTE Energy will partner to bring more wind and solar energy to Michigan.
General Motors often touts its all-electric future, but the automaker has loftier goals to be net-zero carbon neutral come 2050. Plans to make the goal a reality start today, and the automaker announced its latest move will see some of its southeast Michigan facilities fully powered by renewable energy by 2023.
The carmaker said on Monday it will strengthen a partnership with DTE Energy to buy another 500,000 megawatt-hours worth of energy in the next few years. That's on top of 300,000 mWh already purchased, making a total of 800,000 mWh, or enough clean energy to take C02 from 63 million gallons of gasoline burned out of the air.
Facilities first targeted for fully renewable energy include GM's downtown Detroit-based Renaissance Center headquarters and two assembly plants: Orion and Detroit-Hamtramck. The Warren Technical Center is also on the shortlist for 100% green energy in fewer than three years. Clean energy powering Orion and Detroit-Hamtramck suits the plants, too. Orion builds the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Detroit-Hamtramck will build the GMC Hummer EV along with future electric cars.
GM's investment will help fund two new solar parks DTE plans to build, which the company said will create 1,500 jobs during the construction period.
Although the automaker's plans for net-zero carbon emissions are just under 30 years out, it has a pretty massive goal to achieve by the end of this decade. Come 2030, GM wants every single US-based facility to run on renewable energy. Come 2040, every global facility should run on clean energy.
