Automotive giant General Motors has announced a new purchase of wind power that will provide electricity supply equivalent to the requirements of 16 of its U.S. sites and warehouses.
The wind power will be sourced through an agreement with Renewable Energy Systems for 50 MW of capacity at its 150 MW Cactus Flats wind farm, which is currently under construction in Concho County, Texas.
GM made its first wind power purchase in February last year; a 34MW PPA (power purchase agreement) with a major wind farm in Palo Alto, California.
When the RES contract begins in 2018, 6% of GM’s global energy use will be from renewable sources; assuming it doesn’t pick up any other new projects in the meantime.
But the company won’t be stopping there.
“GM’s commitment to renewable energy is helping transform the way electricity is produced, distributed and consumed around the world, and we’re doing it in a way that makes our company and communities stronger,” said Rob Threlkeld, GM global manager of Renewable Energy.
“Investing in Texas wind energy is an important step on a journey that will see clean, renewable sources account for 100 percent of GM’s global energy footprint by 2050.”
GM made the commitment to 100% renewables by 2050 in September, and also joined the RE100 during that month.
As well as the anticipated 114 megawatts of wind power in its portfolio, GM also has 24 on-site solar power installations around the world. One of those installations is an 850-kilowatt array of solar panels at Bowling Green Assembly in Kentucky, home of the Chevrolet Corvette.
The company has previously stated renewable energy is already saving it USD $5 million annually. GM is one of the many companies discovering installing commercial solar arrays and sourcing other renewables isn’t just good for the planet, but also for their bottom line.
The recently published 2016 Solar Means Business report from SEIA ranks GM as the number 1 automotive company in the USA in terms of megawatts solar capacity installed (12MW).
GM has also been making significant headway in hybrid and electric vehicles. Early this year, Fortune reported half of GM’s designers and engineers who work on drivetrains were involved with alternative and electric propulsion systems.
Another major U.S. company announcing a large wind power purchase this week was Microsoft, which signed two agreements representing 237 megawatts of capacity.
