Unlike a certain other automaker, General Motors
DTE Energy is one of the two major utility companies providing natural gas and electricity to most of Michigan. DTE’s electric service area covers most of southeast Michigan including GM’s Detroit headquarters, Warren Technical Center, Milford Proving Ground and assembly plants in Orion and Detroit along with several smaller facilities. DTE’s MiGreenPower program allows residential and commercial customers to get energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
GM had already previously signed up to 300 MWh of wind energy from DTE facilities. The new announcement adds 500 MWh from two new solar generating parks that DTE will be installing. The high cost of installing generating infrastructure and transmission lines makes utilities reluctant to invest unless they have customers to use it. GM’s commitment to powering most of its Michigan facilities from wind and solar was enough to get DTE on board.
The two assembly plants that will get energy from MiGreenPower also happen to be GM’s first that are dedicated to building electric vehicles. The Orion plant builds the Chevrolet Bolt and will add the Bolt EUV crossover next year. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant recently ended production of the Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala and once the current health crisis ends, work will begin to retool it for EV production starting in 2021 with the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq and Cruise Origin.
GM has previously announced a goal to get all of the electricity used by its U.S. facilities from renewables by 2030 and globally by 2040 while DTE wants to reduce its carbon emissions 80% by 2040.