DTE Energy, Stellantis partner on 400 MW of new Michigan solar projects
Working with automaker Stellantis, DTE Energy of Michigan announced this week that they will add 400 MW of new solar projects through DTE’s MIGreenPower program.
By working through the MIGreenPower program, Stellantis will be able to attribute all of its electricity use at 70 sites – both manufacturing and non-manufacturing – to solar sources by 2026. This will allow it to reduce its North American carbon emissions by 50 percent and at its manufacturing facilities by 30 percent – a major inroad to a corporate goal of net zero carbon emissions globally by 2038.
“We want to thank Stellantis for being a great partner, for joining MIGreenPower, and for supporting the development of new solar energy projects here in Michigan,” 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 400 megawatts 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.”
For DTE, this arrangement will further grow what is already one of the country’s largest voluntary renewable energy programs. Further, it marked the second largest renewable energy purchase in the United States by a utility that, according to the company, could lead to 670,000 metric tons of CO2 reductions annually.
“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,” Mark Stewart, COO of Stellantis North America, said. “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.”
The move was also hailed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said it pointed to tangible efforts in Michigan to face climate change head-on, improve energy independence and create good-paying jobs. As of now, she added, the state is the top for energy sector job growth.
