GM Energy Efficiency

GM is pledging to meet its electricity needs at all of its global operations with renewable energy – such as wind, sun and landfill gas – by 2050. The company’s global renewable energy manager, Rob Threlkeld, answers some questions about the company’s 100 percent renewable energy plans and what it will take to achieve its goal.

General Motors plans to generate or source all electrical power for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100 percent renewable energy — such as wind, sun and landfill gas — by 2050.

With 16 solar installations in the United States, General Motors takes the top spot among automakers for solar energy use in the nation. Its latest installation can be found at the company’s Rochester Operations plant in New York – a 466-kilowatt array expected to power 3 percent of the facility’s electricity.

While some may think the sun doesn’t shine very much in Upstate New York, promoters of solar energy know differently. General Motors added a 466-kilowatt solar array at its Rochester Operations plant on Lexington Avenue to leverage the sun’s energy to help power the plant. The plant showcased the array at an event with community leaders, public officials, employees and the media on Friday, July 15.

GM won an Environmental Leader Top Project of the Year Award for our Chevrolet Volt battery secondary reuse project that’s helping keep the lights on at our LEED-Gold Enterprise Data Center office in Milford, Michigan.

In 2015, corporations bought roughly 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from utility-scale renewable energy facilities, which generate power from sources like wind and solar and then pump it into the grid to supply energy to utilities and other customers. Indeed, corporations surpassed utilities last year as the majority buyers of wind power. But universities may be the next big customer for utility-scale renewable energy.

Here’s how amping up rivalry around the block and rewarding innovative employees can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As it becomes ever more urgent to preserve the environment, a growing number of businesses are prioritizing sustainability. More than 50 companies around the world have pledged to work toward using 100% renewable energy to power their operations. Big technology corporations and traditional consumer brands alike are on their way to a low carbon footprint by turning to renewables to keep the lights on.

Join the 2016 #CleanEnergyU virtual Twitter dialogue this Earth Day, April 22 from 12-4 ET, where students and national clean energy and White House leaders will engage directly in conversation with each one another. They will share creative ideas on delivering the Paris promise of a future “well below 2 degrees.”