Whirlpool Corporation plans to set up three wind turbines to power its manufacturing facility in Greenville, Ohio.
Whirlpool has already installed wind turbines in manufacturing facilities in Findlay, Marion, and Ottawa, Ohio as part of its strategy to generate on-site wind energy and reduce CO2.
Three Greenville turbines will generate more than 12 million kWh annually and offset approximately 70 percent of the plant’s electricity consumption – eliminating the equivalent of more than nine thousand annual tons of CO2. This is equivalent to generating enough clean energy to power more than 900 average American homes.
Ron Voglewede, Whirlpool Corporation Global Sustainability Director, said: “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.”
One Energy Enterprises will be building and financing all three turbines as part of its Wind for Industry projects.
The completion of additional wind farms will potentially make Whirlpool one of the largest users of on-site wind energy of any Fortune 500 company in the United States. Greenville Operations manufactures stand mixers, stand mixer attachments and accessories, hand mixers, blenders, aerated beverage machines and cutlery blocks under the KitchenAid brand.
Whirlpool will create three $5,000 Megawatt Scholarships (one per turbine, for a total of $15,000 annually). These will be awarded annually for every year the turbines are in operation. The Megawatt Scholarships will be awarded annually to local high school graduates pursuing a two-year or four-year STEM degree.