General Motors (GM) and DTE Energy plan to build a 516 kW PV installation at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, home of the Chevrolet Volt electric car. The project is expected to generate electricity capable of charging 150 of the electric cars with extended-range capability every day for a year, according to GM and DTE Energy.
The 264,000 square-foot project is scheduled to be completed at the end of the summer and is expected to save the facility approximately $15,000 per year over the 20-year easement agreement.
The installation is part of DTE Energy's SolarCurrents pilot that calls for enough photovoltaic systems to be installed on customer property or rooftops during the next five years to generate 15 MW of electricity throughout southeast Michigan. DTE is investing $3 million in the array at Detroit-Hamtramck.
DTE Energy and GM will build the array on a six-acre tract of land located on the south side of the plant.
