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Agreement will prevent 10,000 tons of CO2from entering the environment
Dow Corning Corporation announced an agreement to purchase more than 14,000
megawatt hours of wind generated renewable energy through Consumers Energy’s Green Generation
program, making Dow Corning one of the largest private purchasers of renewable
energy in the State of Michigan. By using wind generated electricity,
approximately 10,000 tons of CO2 will be prevented from being
released into the environment.
The amount of energy purchased through this agreement is equivalent to
nearly 100 percent of the electrical load required at Dow Corning’s Corporate
Headquarters in Midland, Mich., a site with more than 1100 employees and home
to the company’s technically sophisticated global research and development
center. The amount of energy required to power the site is equivalent to
the needs of 1,700 Michigan homes each year.
“This underscores Dow Corning’s leadership and commitment beyond the
production of components for all types of solar applications to the use of
renewable energy to meet our power needs,” said Marie Eckstein (PDF
size = 60 KB), Dow Corning Vice President and Chief Administrative
Officer. “These kinds of steps benefit our nation and our state in
several ways: producing alternative energy jobs in Michigan, providing a
reliable source of clean energy, and demonstrating the potential of
partnerships to address serious energy issues.”
“We are very pleased that Dow Corning is now the largest private participant
in our Green Generation program,” said John G. Russell, Consumers Energy’s
president and chief operating officer. “The leadership demonstrated by
Dow Corning is consistent with its cutting-edge manufacturing of solar
applications and technology.”
Consumers Energy’s Green Generation program was the first voluntary
renewable energy program in Michigan, and one of the most successful in the
country. The program was authorized by the Michigan Public Service
Commission and launched in 2005.
Dow Corning, which is a leading provider of materials to the solar and wind energy industries, also announced
that it is investigating the installation of a solar array at its corporate
headquarters. In addition to generating power, solar panels at the site
will be used to test products, and to demonstrate the potential of alternative
energy to area students and the general public.
Dow Corning has turned to renewable forms of energy to help power other
sites around the world, including two of its largest manufacturing sites in
Europe. In Wiesbaden, Germany, more than 1,000 square meters of solar
panels have been installed on the roof and facades of office and production
buildings generating enough electricity to power 35 households for an entire
year. In Seneffe, Belgium, preparations are being made to install a
turbine to harness wind power and generate electricity equivalent to 100
households for an entire year.
Dow Corning’s renewable energy expertise also found a home at Dow Diamond, a
minor league baseball stadium in Midland, Michigan. Dow Corning, together
with its joint venture Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, donated 168 solar
panels that produce nearly 30 kilowatt hours of electricity at their peak
output.
The panels produce enough electricity to fully power the stadium’s large
electronic video screen and scoreboard.
Consumers Energy also purchases electricity for the program from Michigan’s
largest commercial wind facility, John Deere Renewable Energy’s Michigan Wind
Park I, and also buys electricity generated by two wind turbines near Mackinaw
City. All of the projects are located in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and all
sources are Green-e certified as renewable.
About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides
performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000
customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones,
silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000
products and services via the company’s DOW CORNING® and XIAMETER® brands. Dow Corning is a
joint venture equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning,
Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the
United States.
About Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural
gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents in
all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For further information, please direct inquiries to one of our media
representatives.
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