At its Michigan cement facility, Holcim US will build a 25 megawatt (MW) solar farm, which will supply more than 30% of the company’s energy needs.
Holcim recently announced that NorthStar sustainable Energy would build an on-site solar farm on 100 acres at its facility in Alpena, Michigan, as part of its commitment to completely power all of its US businesses with sustainable energy by the year 2030. The plant will be able to cover 75% of its electrical demands with clean energy thanks to the new solar array, which will yield over 30% of its present energy consumption.
Cement production uses a lot of energy and emits a lot of CO2. Concrete production generates 0.93 pounds of CO2 every pound.Compared to aviation, which accounts for more than 2% of global emissions, the cement sector really contributes roughly 8% of them.
The concrete industry is moving forward to solve that issue. In 2021, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), of which Holcim is a member, will present a road map for concrete that is net-zero in production. The worldwide manufacturer of building materials Holcim Group, with its headquarters in Switzerland, claims to be a “global leader in sustainable construction.” Holcim US is a subsidiary of Holcim Group.
The Holcim solar farm in Michigan will start to be built this year, and it is anticipated that it will start operating for profit in December 2024. It is anticipated to cut the plant’s yearly CO2 emissions by about 25,000 tonnes.
At its cement mills in the US, the corporation has installed clean energy systems before. Its Paulding, Ohio, facility has three on-site wind turbines, while its Hagerstown, Maryland, mill gets more than 28% of its electricity from a solar farm. Additionally, the Florence, Colorado, Portland cement plant’s installation of large-scale solar power and battery storage was announced in March.
