GM, Detroit Renewable Energy Start Waste-to-Energy Unit (with video)

Detroit Renewable Energy and General Motors Corp. are starting a project to turn municipal solid waste (MSW) into process steam to heat and cool portions of GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.

The facility will provide 15.8 megawatts of renewable energy to the plant, which equals 12 percent of GM’s overall goal of putting 125 megawatts of renewable energy into its energy portfolio by 2020, according to a news release.

Construction of the new steam line and associated energy infrastructure began in November, and the companies expect it to be operational next spring.

When it’s complete, 58 percent of the plant’s energy needs will come from renewable energy, making Detroit-Hamtramck the top GM facility in the world by percentage of renewable energy used.