General Motors has announced that it plans to source 100% renewable energy to power its US sites by 2025. This will be five years earlier than previously announced and 25 years ahead of its initial target set in 2016.
By accelerating its renewable energy goal, the global company aims to avoid one million metric tonne of carbon emissions that would have been produced between 2025 and 2030.
Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer, GM, said, 'We know climate action is a priority, and every company must push itself to decarbonise further and faster. That's what we are doing by aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy five years earlier in the US 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 and 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. In addition, 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 decarbonise its portfolio. As it works toward fulfilling its climate commitments, the company is focusing its renewable energy efforts on four pillars - increasing energy Efficiency, sourcing renewables, addressing intermittency and policy advocacy.
In addition, the company has announced that it is collaborating with PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organisation, 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. For example, when the power being supplied consists mostly of fossil fuels, the company can make informed decisions about tapping into stored renewable energy or reducing the amount of power consumed.
The initiative is expected to eventually expand to include the carbon emissions associated with customers' electric vehicles, allowing it to understand the fuller scope of the emissions it aims to address and help the company decide where to invest renewable energy efforts to achieve the greatest impact beyond its operations.
All of this builds on GM's previous climate commitments, expanded on by GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra, declaring the company would prioritise 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 commercialisation 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 organisations working on the front lines of climate justice.