Whirlpool Corporation’s Strategy for Renewable Energy in Its North America Operation Puts Company on EPA Green Power List Recognized for Green Power Leadership
Whirlpool Corporation’s renewable energy strategy for North American operations was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by including the company on three of the EPA’s Green Power Leadership lists. The company is No. 60 on the EPA’s National Top 100 List of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership (GPP), No. 14 on the Top 30 On-site Generation list and No. 34 on EPA’s list of Green Power Partners from the Fortune 500®. Whirlpool Corp. is currently purchasing more than 301 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy from renewable sources annually, which represents 86 percent of its operations’ total power needs and is equivalent to the annual electricity use of nearly 28,000 average American homes.
Whirlpool Corporation’s goal is to use onsite renewable power where possible for manufacturing sites – primarily wind and solar energy. Secondary to that, the company has invested in two virtual power purchasing agreements (VPPAs), Limestone Wind in Dawson, Texas, with 53MW of clean energy produced from 88 turbines and Mesquite Sky in Callahan County, Texas. When fully operational, the VPPAs are expected to generate sufficient renewable energy to cover 100% of Whirlpool Corporation’s U.S. sites’ electrical consumption.
“Adding clean, renewable energy to the electrical grid while helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint is an important part of our ongoing sustainability initiatives and will help us meet our Net Zero by 2030 goal for our operations,” said Beat Stocker, senior director of global sustainability at Whirlpool Corp. “We are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for being a leader in the green power market.”
Adding clean, renewable energy to the electrical grid while helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint is an important part of our ongoing sustainability initiatives and will help us meet our Net Zero by 2030 goal for our operations,"
By moving the needle in the voluntary green power market, Whirlpool and other Green Power Partners are helping to reduce the negative health impacts of air emissions including those related to ozone, fine particles, acid rain, and regional haze.
“Onsite renewable energy at our manufacturing facilities comes with its own challenges, but it’s key to our strategy because it contributes to global decarbonization efforts while also reducing demand on local and national electricity grids,” said Scot Blommel, senior manager of global sustainability and net zero program lead for Whirlpool Corporation.
“This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment,” said James Critchfield, Program Manager of EPA’s Green Power Partnership. “EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment.”
Supported by their focus on green power, in 2023 Whirlpool Corp. saw a ~25% reduction in scopes 1 and 2 market-based emissions year-over-year for the last two years. In addition, they achieved ~7% reduction in Scope 3, category 11 emissions from products in use. Learn more about Whirlpool Corporation’s ongoing environmental sustainability efforts in their 2023 Sustainability Report.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase green power use among U.S. organizations to advance the American market for green power and development of those sources as a way to reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. In 2022, the Partnership had nearly 700 Partners voluntarily using nearly 95 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.