For Release: Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, 10 a.m. EDT
General Motors and DTE Energy Partner on Solar Array
New 800-kilowatt array at Warren Transmission will be GM’s largest in Michigan
WARREN, Mich. – General Motors is partnering with DTE Energy to build a new
800-kilowatt solar array at its Warren Transmission plant that will be GM’s largest
solar installation in Michigan.
“By supporting this project and making renewable energy commitments globaly, we
will surpass our goal to promote 125 megawatts of clean power by 2020,” said Rob
Threlkeld, GM global manager of renewable energy. “This new array, along with our
solar array at the nearby GM Technical Center in Warren, makes GM’s commitment
to clean energy visible to the Warren community.
The 2,800 solar panels will generate clean electricity that will go back to the grid.
DTE Energy will own the array on 4.25 acres of land leased from GM. Warren
Transmission builds front-wheel drive transmissions for a variety of GM’s mostpopular cars, crossovers and SUVs, as well as the drive unit for the new 2016
Chevrolet Volt.
The solar array will generate approximately 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity
per year, the energy equivalent to powering the annual electricity needs of about
135 homes in southeast Michigan.
“DTE is proud to be the state’s largest investor in solar and wind,” said Irene
Dimitry, vice president of business and development for DTE Energy. “The GM
Transmission partnership is part of a broader, long-term plan to move us toward a
cleaner, more diversified energy portfolio.”
In addition to the solar array, Warren Transmission recently met the EPA ENERGY
STAR® Challenge for Industry by reducing the energy intensity of the facility by
12.3 percent in just two years. The facility is also landfill-free, meaning it reuses,
recycles or converts to energy all waste from daily operations.
GM currently houses 46 megawatts of solar power at 19 facilities globally. When the
Warren Transmission array is complete, the global footprint of solar projects at GM
sites will be equivalent to the size of nearly 125 American football fields.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability
report and environmental blog.
About General Motors Co.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30
countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastestgrowing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles
under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and
Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a
global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at
http://www.gm.com.
About DTE Energy
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the
development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its
operating units include an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern
Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy
portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects,
natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. As one of
Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the
450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy,
volunteerism and economic progress. For more information about DTE Energy, visit
dteenergy.com twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.
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CONTACTS:
Sharon Basel
GM Energy, Environment and Sustainability Communications
313-378-6647
sharon.basel@gm.com
Kevin Nadrowski
Warren Powertrain Communications
313-498-5464
kevin.1.nadrowski@gm.com
Vanessa Waters
DTE Energy
313-235-7255
watersv@dteenergy.com