GM Switching To 100% Renewable Energy For Texas Factory. That’s The Good News

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Wind power in Texas continues to crush the competition. Its latest victory is the big General Motors manufacturing facility in Arlington, Texas. That plant will now be getting 100% of its electricity from the new Cactus Flats Wind Farm in Eden, Texas, which is located about four hours southwest of Dallas. Electricity from that wind farm will not only power the Arlington factory but will also help supply all of GM’s offices and other facilities in the Lone Star state.

GM Texas factory uses 100% renewable energy

With 4,300 workers, the Arlington facility is one of the largest GM factories in the United States and produces 1,200 new vehicles a day and has been in operation since 1954. In total, The General employs more than 10,000 people in Texas.

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“Renewable energy is an important part of GM’s vision for a zero emissions future,” Rob Threlkeld, global manager of renewable energy at GM, said in a press statement announcing the switch over to wind power. “The EPA’s support and recognition sends a strong message that transitioning to renewables is good for business and the environment, and helps make a greener grid and cleaner energy more accessible for everyone.”

The switch to renewable energy at the Arlington plant is part of GM’s plan to use only renewables to power its global enterprises by 2050. It is at about 20% today. But make no mistake. The reason the Arlington factory is using wind power only because it is the least expensive option available. Don’t be fooled into thinking the leaders of GM have all turned into treehuggers who sing Kumbaya in the board room.

Those 1,200 new vehicles the Arlington factory spits out every day? They’re all large SUVs — Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons, and Escalades. Precisely the kinds of vehicles the world needs less of rather than more. GM is also part of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the industry lobbying group that has been begging the Trump maladministration to roll back auto emissions so its members can continue to infest the highways with enormous gas guzzlers powered by internal combustion engines.

We’re not saying what GM is doing what amounts to little more than greenwashing, but if that’s the conclusion you want to draw, go right ahead.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.

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