GM Battery Reuse Earns an Environmental Leader Top Project of the Year Award

GM won an Environmental Leader Top Project of the Year Award for our Chevrolet Volt battery secondary reuse project that’s helping keep the lights on at our LEED-Gold Enterprise Data Center office in Milford, Michigan.

A 74-kilowatt ground-mount solar array and two 2kW wind turbines feed the administration building’s distribution panel, where five Volt batteries work in parallel to supply power to the building, delivering net-zero energy use on an annual basis. This means the renewable energy generated meets or exceeds the facility’s demand. And excess clean energy is fed back to the grid that supplies the Milford campus. 

These batteries still have up to 80 percent of their storage capacity after they reach the end of their useful life in a vehicle. We’re working to see it go to good use. This battery storage system helped the data center earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

GM received the award at the Environmental Leader conference. Mari Kay Scott, GM executive director of global environmental compliance and sustainability, delivered the event’s keynote address on measuring, baselining and managing environmental performance.

GM Global Manager of Renewable Energy Rob Threlkeld also participated on a panel about corporate and industrial renewable energy procurement strategies.

To learn more about conference highlights or other award winners, visit environmentalleader.com.