US energy company DTE Energy and car manufacturer Stellantis have signed an agreement to add 400MW of new solar projects across Michigan through DTE’s MIGreenPower renewable energy programme.
The power purchase agreement (PPA) will see Stellantis able to power 70 of its southeast Michigan sites entirely on solar by 2026, which will reduce the company’s carbon emissions across North America by 50%, and across its manufacturing facilities by 30%.
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DTE Energy said that this PPA represents the second largest clean energy purchase from a utility in the history of the US, after the 650MW agreement it signed with Ford Motors in August this year, also as part of the MIGreenPower initiative.
MIGreenPower is one of the largest voluntary renewable energy programmes in the US, with over 800 businesses and 75,000 residential customers signed up and 4 million megawatt hours enrolled in the programme.
Stellantis has targeted global carbon neutrality across its operations by 2038.
Mark Stewart, COO of Stellantis North America said: “While this day and this historic agreement are about clean and efficient power, I’d like to suggest that today is also about the power of partnerships in this new era of sustainable mobility.
“Our success – indeed our survival – will depend more and more on how completely we embrace the values of collaboration and partnership as strategic imperatives that help us achieve breakthrough business outcomes.”
Jerry Norcia, chairman and CEO of DTE Energy said: “Investments like this accelerate our state’s transition to clean energy, create jobs and strengthen our state’s economy. Adding 400MW of new solar for Stellantis will result in a cleaner environment for Michigan families, communities and businesses, and create hundreds of jobs during project construction.”
DTE Energy casts a broad shadow in Michigan’s renewable energy landscape. The company said that last month it filed a resource plan with the Michigan Public Service Commission proposing increased investment in solar and wind deployment, faster retirement of coal plants and reinforced investment in energy storage. If the plan is approved, DTE said that it will add over 15GW of new renewables projects over the next two decades.