GM commits to 100 percent renewables

DETROIT, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Michigan automaker General Motors said it set a goal of getting all of its power across its entire global sector of operations from renewable energy by 2050.

"This pursuit of renewable energy benefits our customers and communities through cleaner air while strengthening our business through lower and more stable energy costs," GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.

The Detroit company said it expects to have around 3.5 percent of its electricity use come from renewable energy resources this year and is on pace to meet some of its 2020 objectives with the addition of wind-power projects deployed at four manufacturing operations.

The technology infrastructure division of the retailer, Amazon Web Services, contracted Iberdrola Renewables to help build and operate a 208 megawatt wind farm in North Carolina last year and committed itself to getting 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable resources, with the aim of meeting 40 percent of that goal by the end of this year.

Apple Inc. advanced its renewable energy footprint in tech-heavy North Carolina, pioneered by a solar-powered data center in 2013. The Solar Energy Industries Association said retailers from Verizon to IKEA have combined to provide one of the most solar-centric technology sectors in the country.

GM said it was in the process of adding new solar arrays to facilities in China. The company, one of those rescued by a federal U.S. government bailout, said it was saving about $5 million per year by using renewable energy.