Whirlpool Corporation announced today that it has entered into agreements with One Energy to add onsite wind and solar power at its Findlay and Clyde, Ohio operations. The company currently has nine onsite wind turbines at four of its Ohio plants in Findlay, Marion, Greenville and Ottawa. Combined, those turbines supply 22 percent of the electrical needs for those facilities. These two projects are among the largest behind-the-meter renewable energy projects in the U.S., and once complete will ensure the Clyde and Findlay plants receive at least 70 percent of their energy needs from onsite renewable energy.
The expansion project involves three additional turbines at the company’s Findlay operations, bringing its total number of onsite turbines to five. This will be the first introduction of onsite renewable energy for operations in Clyde, Ohio with the construction of three turbines. A ground solar array will also be installed at each location. The two projects combined will create 40.8 megawatts of renewable energy, bringing Whirlpool Corp. into the top 25 percent of companies on the Environmental Protection Agency’s national Green Power Partnership list.
“Our focus on sustainability goes back over 50 years, and these new onsite installations are a significant step toward achieving our net zero target by 2030 for our operations,” said Pam Klyn, Whirlpool Corporation’s executive vice president of corporate relations and sustainability. “Sustainability is deeply embedded in our values, and we’re very excited to be making this announcement today.”
The solar and wind projects are expected to be online and operational by early 2025. Each turbine that Whirlpool Corp. has installed to date provides scholarship money in conjunction with One Energy. For the six new wind turbines, six additional $5,000 scholarships will be awarded per year to students in the local area pursuing a two or four year degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).