Solar Tribune

GM to Add Solar Panels to Chevy Volt Plant

by

GM announced Wednesday that it will install a 264,000-square foot solar array at the Chevy Volt assembly plant in Hamtramck, MI.

As the largest photovoltaic solar array in Southern Michigan, the project will lead to savings of $15,000 per year for the first two decades.

“This array will significantly decrease energy consumption by combining solar power with ongoing efficiency tactics such as lighting and equipment upgrades and automating equipment shut-down,” said Bob Ferguson, vice president of GM Public Policy. “Making sustainable choices is good for both the environment and our bottom line.”

Currently, 1.4% of GM’s energy consumption is from renewable sources. The solar array, a partnership between the motoring giant and DTE Energy, will generate enough electricity to charge 150 of the electric cars produced there every day for a year.

The solar energy firm has invested $3 million in the array at Hamtramck as part of its SolarCurrents program.

Trevor Lauer of DTE Energy hopes the installation will promote others in Michigan to follow GM’s lead. “Our SolarCurrents program was designed to increase the demand for renewable technologies in Michigan,” he says “and it is our hope that installations like this one do exactly that.”

The array will be built on a six-acre plot on the south side of the plant, allowing for maximum solar output. The project is predicted to be completed by the end of the summer.

Source: forbes.com

Recent Posts