DETROIT, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
- As GM pursues carbon-neutral commitment, company expects to
source 100 percent renewable energy in the U.S. by 2025
- GM teams with PJM and TimberRock to launch a new carbon
tracking system to monitor and reduce emissions in real
time
Today, General Motors announced that it plans to source 100
percent renewable energy to power its U.S. sites by 2025 – five
years earlier than previously announced, and 25 years ahead of its
initial target that was set in 2016. By accelerating its renewable
energy goal, GM aims to avoid 1 million metric tons of carbon
emissions that would have been produced between 2025 and 2030.
"We know climate action is a priority and every company must
push itself to decarbonize further and faster," said GM Chief
Sustainability Officer Kristen
Siemen. "That's what we are doing by aiming to achieve 100
percent renewable energy five years earlier in the U.S. as we
continue to advance on our commitment to lead an all-electric,
carbon-neutral future."
Earlier this year, GM announced its Science Based Targets, as
well as plans to become carbon neutral in its global products and
operations by 2040 aligned with the aspiration to eliminate
tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. The
company has committed to invest $35
billion in electric and autonomous vehicles and plans to
introduce more than 30 electric vehicle models globally by
2025.
Sourcing renewable energy is a critical component of GM's plans
to decarbonize its portfolio. As it works toward fulfilling its
climate commitments, the company is focusing its renewable energy
efforts on four pillars:
- Increasing Energy Efficiency: GM's energy goals begin
with reducing energy consumption by improving energy efficiency.
For 10 years, GM has been awarded the EPA Energy Star Sustained
Excellence Award for its energy efficiency efforts.
- Sourcing Renewables: While it works to minimize the
amount of energy required to run its facilities, GM also sources
renewable energy through direct investment, green tariffs and power
purchase agreements. This is the main avenue through which GM will
achieve its renewable energy goal.
- Addressing Intermittency: GM is creating technology to
store renewable energy over the medium and long term, so its power
consumption is not disrupted by external fluctuations.
- Policy Advocacy: Policy efforts are essential to expand
transmission, create microgrids that help deploy renewable energy,
and enable markets to price these solutions to enable a carbon-free
resilient power system. GM supports policies that enable a
carbon-free, resilient power system.
Additionally, GM announced that it is collaborating with PJM
Interconnection, a regional transmission organization, and
TimberRock, a technology-enabled energy company, to track the
real-time carbon emissions at GM's facilities associated with
electricity use.
This carbon tracking initiative enables GM to make strategic
decisions about its energy consumption based on the carbon output
of the grid at a given time. When the power being supplied consists
mostly of fossil fuels, GM can make informed decisions about
tapping into stored renewable energy or reduce the amount of power
being consumed.
The initiative is expected to eventually expand to include the
carbon emissions associated with customers' electric vehicles,
allowing GM to understand the fuller scope of the emissions it aims
to address and helping the company decide where to invest renewable
energy efforts to achieve the greatest impact beyond its own
operations.
"We're delighted that GM has raised the ambition of their 100
percent renewable electricity journey and brought forward their
target to 2025," said Sam Kimmins,
head of RE100 at Climate Group. "This is the sort of urgent action
that is needed to halve global carbon emissions by 2030 and tackle
the climate crisis. We need all businesses to commit to using 100
percent renewable electricity and drive the renewable power
transition at the pace and scale required."
All of this builds on GM's previous climate commitments,
expanded on by GM Chair and CEO Mary
Barra, declaring the company would prioritize equitable
climate action to help ensure its all-electric future is inclusive
for its current and future workforce, customers, and communities
that may be more likely to disproportionately experience the
effects of climate change.
GM also announced that it has signed on to participate in
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, an initiative that brings together
public and private sector partners to help advance the
commercialization of technology that GM believes supports its
equitable climate actions goals. This commitment to Catalyst rounds
out the other sustainability initiatives GM has established through
the company's $25 million Climate
Equity Fund, which supports grassroots and community organizations
that are working on the front lines of climate justice.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on
advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible
to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery
platform, which will power everything from mass-market to
high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its
joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick,
GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the
company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in
vehicle safety and security services, can be found at
https://www.gm.com.
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SOURCE General Motors Co.