Added on June 24, 2014  The News Wheel   , , , ,
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3 Acres of GM Solar Arrays Added in Michigan

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GM Solar Arrays

General Motors this week announced that it would be adding a total of 3 acres of new solar arrays at two different facilities in Michigan. The GM solar arrays will be built at the Swartz Creek processing center and the Flint engine plant. These arrays will together produce about 400,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year; that’s enough to power 25 homes.

GM expects the projects to be completed this fall. When the solar arrays have been built, GM will officially house over 38 megawatts of solar power globally, at 13 facilities. When you combine that number with its landfill gas and biomass energy use, the figure jumps up to 60 megawatts. The additional three acres of GM solar rays are a part of GM’s bigger plan to reach 125 megawatts by the year 2020.

“Ever since our first solar array in 2006, GM has realized the benefits of renewable energy,” said Rob Threlkeld, GM global renewable energy manager. “Not only does it reduce our emissions and lessen our dependence on petroleum, it makes a statement about the role businesses can play in securing a cleaner energy future.”

GM boasts several other solar installations across the country. These include:

  • A 1.8-megawatt installation at Toledo Transmission—this is Ohio’s largest rooftop array
  • A 1-megawatt array at the distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga, California—this is the country’s first 1-megawatt public solar project
  • A 900-kilowatt rooftop array on the parts distribution warehouse in Fontana, California
  • A 516-kilowatt installation at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly—this is Michigan’s largest ground-mount solar array
  • A 350-kilowatt ground-mount array at Orion Assembly in Lake Orion, Michigan
  • A 49-kilowatt ground-mount array at GM’s Technical Center in Warren, Michigan