We strive to reduce emissions & petroleum dependence by being more energy efficient.
Summary
- We reduced energy use at our global facilities 31% between 2005 and 2010.
- We received the EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year award.
- We house 30 MW of solar energy at seven facilities, with plans to double that output by 2015.
- Our Zaragoza, Spain facility features the world’s largest industrial rooftop solar installation.
- We are the second largest industrial user of landfill gas in the United States.
- We reduced CO2 emissions by 30% from 2005 to 2010.
- Chevrolet is investing up to $40 million in carbon-reduction projects across America.
Reducing Energy Use
Being smart about our energy use is great for the environment and saves us money. For example, lighting upgrades and other efficiency projects save us $2.5M per year at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly—home of the Chevrolet Volt.
By using energy-efficient lighting, tracking hourly consumption, upgrading to more efficient heating and cooling systems, and shutting down equipment when it’s not used, we reduced energy use at our global facilities 28% on a per-vehicle-produced basis between 2005 and 2010. These savings reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 3.34 million metric tons during that timeframe.
And our efforts are getting recognized:
- Two of our facilities – our parts distribution center and plant that assembles the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse in Lansing, Mich. – received EPA Energy Star certifications for superior energy efficiency.
- We received the EPA Energy Star Partner of the Year award for energy and greenhouse gas reductions.
- We met EPA’s Energy Star Challenge for Industry at 30 North American plants. Their efforts saved $50M and avoided greenhouse gases equivalent to powering 97,000 U.S. homes.
We also strive to build and renovate in an environmentally responsible way. We have facilities with gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program: Lansing Delta Township Assembly in Lansing, Mich., and GM's Shanghai campus. When it first opened, the Lansing Delta Township building was the largest industrial project to receive LEED certification. We hope to achieve LEED certification at our new Joinville, Brazil engine plant and at our Warren, Mich. data center that’s being designed for optimal energy efficiency.
Renewable Energy
We believe in harnessing power from the sun, water and landfill gases, and are one of the leading users of renewable energy in the manufacturing sector. In fact, we are home to the world’s largest industrial rooftop installation in Zaragoza, Spain.
We can host nearly 30 megawatts of solar power at seven facilities, and we have plans to double output to 60 megawatts by 2015. That’s enough energy to power nearly 10,000 homes in the United States for a year. Half of our electricity at our California distribution center is powered by the sun; it was the first U.S. public solar project over 1 megawatt when it began operating in 2006. And, nine of our facilities feature solar charging canopies on their grounds.
We’re also the second largest industrial user of landfill gas in the United States. Four of our manufacturing facilities use it as an energy source, generating $3.5 million in savings in 2011. Additionally, our GM do Brazil manufacturing facilities use 15MW of biomass-generated-electricity from sugar cane.
Reducing Emissions
As a result of our energy-efficiency initiatives, our global facilities achieved a 28% reduction in CO2 emissions ona per-vehicle-produced basis between 2005 and 2010.
To supplement traditional efficiency initiatives, Chevrolet is investing up to $40 million in various carbon-reduction projects throughout America with a goal to reduce up to 8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions over the next five years. We estimate our carbon-reduction goal equates to the emissions released in 2011 from driving the 1.9 million vehicles Chevrolet sold in the United States between November 18, 2010 and December 31, 2011.
