GM, DTE Energy to utilize renewable energy in select facilities by 2023

MANILA: DTE Energy and General Motors have collaborated in the acceleration of the transition to renewable energy in factories, specifically the latter's Michigan facilities. The agreement involved the sourcing of 500,000 megawatt-hours of solar energy under the MIGreenPower program of DTE. It also includes an investment of 300,000 MWh of wind energy, which GM purchased in February 2019. This brought the total amount of energy to about 800,000 MWh, equivalent to the amount of electricity consumption by over 100,000 homes in an average year.

The MIGreenPower program is accessible to all DTE Electric clients who would like to allocate a higher percentage of their energy usage to solar and wind operations of DTE.

The investment of GM in MIGreenPower is expected to provide sufficient renewable energy to supply the facilities of the automaker in Southeast Michigan by 2023. GM is also dedicated to the expansion of the accessibility of workplace charging stations in its facilities, and this will be powered by solar and wind energy as well.

According to the chief sustainability officer of GM, Dane Parker, these types of projects can have a significant effect on decreasing emission levels and that the automobile company is proud to take the lead in the provision of clean energy in some of its facilities. The deal will not only minimize pollution in the future, but it will also provide a sneak peek into a phase where an electric vehicle (EV) is powered by renewable energy. As GM ramps up its EV portfolio and avails a global green grid, the future looks promising for this endeavor.

The investment will also finance two new DTE solar parks that are currently under construction. The initial contribution of GM to MIGreenPower was used for the funding of three wind parks that are expected to attain commercial operation by the latter part of 2020. Based on similar programs, DTE projects this plan to reinforce approximately 1,500 renewable energy jobs in Michigan during its project development.

The president and COO of DTE Electric, Trevor Lauer, said that DTE is thankful to GM for the dedication to establishing this renewable energy initiative. MIGreenPower was established to give residential and business consumers access to renewable energy. They have also registered several residential customers and some prominent companies in the program. DTE Electric also requests its customers to sign up and support the acceleration of renewable energy development. This aims to aid in the mitigation of the global effects of climate change.

DTE has also sped up its objectives to decrease carbon dioxide emission by 80% by 2040 and attain net-zero carbon emissions in the electric company by 2050. The increasing participation in the MIGreenPower voluntary sustainable energy program will have a significant role in achieving these goals. Customers who compare their electricity usage to the utility-scale solar and wind initiatives of DTE increase the amount of sustainable energy that DTE can develop more than what is needed by the law. This speeds up the demand for renewable energy, and it provides more exposure to such projects.

Parker also added that the investment is based on the accelerated commitment of GM to source 100% of its US facilities with renewable energy by 2030 and its international facilities by 2040.

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