Enrollment advances company's goal to achieve
carbon neutrality at all North
America facilities by 2035
PLANO,
Texas, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota
Motor North America (TMNA) and DTE Energy (DTE) today announced
Toyota's enrollment in MIGreenPower, DTE's voluntary renewable
energy program. Toyota's participation puts all of TMNA's Research
and Development operations in Michigan on a path to attribute 100% of their
electricity use to renewable energy projects starting in 2026.¹
This includes the company's R&D Headquarters in Ann Arbor along with six other facilities
across Washtenaw County. TMNA's
clean energy commitment covers a 20-year period and will have the
environmental benefit equal to avoiding 29,000 metric tons of CO2
or the greenhouse gas emissions from more than 6,200
gasoline-powered passenger cars driven for a year.²
"Renewable energy programs like DTE's MIGreenPower program are
crucial to helping companies seeking a reduced carbon footprint to
achieve their goals," said Kevin
Butt, director of Environmental Sustainability for
TMNA. "From our R&D facilities in Michigan to our production and corporate
facilities across the nation, Toyota aims to achieve carbon
neutrality throughout our operations by 2035."
MIGreenPower is among the largest voluntary renewable energy
programs in the United States. The
program enables DTE Electric's residential and business customers
to attribute an even greater percentage of their electricity use to
Michigan-made wind and solar
projects beyond the 15% DTE already provides. To date, the company
has more than 800 businesses enrolled in the program along with
more than 85,000 residential customers. On an annual basis,
MIGreenPower customers have enrolled four million megawatt hours of
clean energy in the program, which has the environmental benefit
equivalent to avoiding more than three million tons of carbon
dioxide emissions annually or the greenhouse gas emissions from
more than 630,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars.³ Program
participation is accelerating the development of new wind and solar
projects in Michigan. By 2026, DTE
will add more than 2,000 MW of new clean energy projects to meet
program demand.
"We are excited to welcome Toyota to the MIGreenPower program,"
said Brian Calka, vice president,
Renewable Sales and Project Development for DTEEnergy. "Toyota
joins a growing list of Michigan-based automotive manufacturers and
suppliers who are enrolling in MIGreenPower to meet their
sustainability goals. Currently, more than 70% of MIGreenPower
business customers are involved in the automotive sector."
DTE is Michigan's largest
producer of and investor in renewable energy and is committed to
achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In its CleanVision
Integrated Resource Plan filed in November
2022 with the Michigan Public Service Commission, DTE
proposed increasing investment in solar and wind energy,
accelerating the retirement of coal plants, and investing in the
development of new energy storage – all reinforcing DTE's
commitment to cleaner energy. If the new plan is approved, the
company will add more than 15,000 megawatts of new renewable energy
projects over the next two decades.
TMNA R&D
For more than 50 years, Toyota
Motor North America Research & Development (TMNA R&D) has
led engineering for several of the best-selling Toyota vehicles on
U.S. roads. Teams are now creating both next-generation vehicles
and new and advanced mobility concepts that can better move people,
goods and information. Toyota's innovation has produced more
patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office than any
other automaker for the past 9 years (3,056 in 2022). Centered in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, TMNA R&D
is pursuing Toyota's mission to "Produce Happiness for All" by
making life safer, easier and more enjoyable. Globally, Toyota
spends approximately $1 million per
hour on R&D to ensure that Toyota rapidly and continuously
develops cutting-edge, high-quality, and appealing vehicles.
About DTE Energy
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a
Detroit-based diversified energy
company involved in the development and management of
energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating
units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in
Southeast Michigan and a natural
gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy
businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable
natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our
commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2
emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions
by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it
safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to
achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to
serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and
employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress.
Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com,
empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and
facebook.com.
1 Includes 15% renewable energy already provided by
DTE Energy through the State of
Michigan's Renewable Portfolio Standard.
2, 3 Avoided emissions and equivalencies are based on
the Environmental Protection Agency equivalencies calculator at
epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
Media Contacts
Rick
Bourgoise
Toyota Motor North America
rick.bourgoise@toyota.com
Cindy Hecht
DTE Energy
313.235.5555
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America