Whirlpool recently announced plans for three wind turbines to power its manufacturing facility in Greenville, Ohio, further building on the company's commitment to sustainable manufacturing.
Beginning construction in early 2018, the turbines will be the same as those developed for Whirlpool's other Ohio manufacturing facilities in Findlay, Marion and Ottawa. The completion of the additional wind farms will potentially make Whirlpool one of the largest users of onsite wind energy of any U.S. Fortune 500 company.
The three Greenville turbines will generate more than 12 million kilowatt hours annually and offset approximately 70 percent of the plant's electricity consumption, eliminating the equivalent of more than 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which would be enough clean energy to power more than 900 average American homes. All three turbines will be built and financed by One Energy Enterprises as part of its Wind for Industry projects.
"By investing in onsite wind energy, we're ensuring that Whirlpool Corporation is set up for success now and in the future, while also expanding the commitment to sustainability that is vital to our company," said Ron Voglewede, Whirlpool's global sustainability director. "We are proud that this will be our fourth of five plants in Ohio to utilize sustainable energy, and we are committed to continuing to grow initiatives and projects like these that help reduce our overall energy footprint."
The Greenville plant manufactures stand mixers, stand mixer attachments and accessories, hand mixers, blenders, aerated beverage machines and cutlery blocks under the KitchenAid brand.
In addition, as part of its continued commitment to the community surrounding the Greenville plant, Whirlpool will create three $5,000 Megawatt Scholarships (one per turbine), for a total of $15,000 annually. The scholarships will be awarded every year the turbines are in operation to local high-school graduates pursuing a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree.
For more information, visit www.whirlpoolcorp.com.
