After a scorching summer that taxed power grids nationwide, Holcim US announced the installation of new solar arrays at its Fort Totten ready mix concrete plant in Washington, D.C., helping to both offset the industrial load in a major metropolitan area and replace the fossil fuel-generated electricity on site with renewable energy. 

"This summer showed why everyone, including a concrete supplier in the middle of a large city, is responsible for reducing energy consumption," said Cedric Barthelemy, senior vice president and general manager of Holcim US' Mid-Atlantic Region. "With our focus on Holcim US' renewable energy goals, we're leading the way in becoming the first concrete company in D.C. to generate and use solar energy on site."

In support of Holcim's pledge to power all of its US operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, the Fort Totten installation, which is made of both silo rooftop solar modules and a separate carport with solar modules, will produce between 1,300 and 1,500 MWh per year of renewable green energy.

Centennial Generating Company developed the project, which was built by Halo, a solar engineering contractor. It will be owned and operated by Madison Energy Investments (MEI).

This project highlights Holcim's commitment to move toward a blend of green solutions across business units and markets, from low-carbon cement and concrete to electrifying vehicle fleets to innovative carbon capture research. It follows a number of other solar and renewable energy projects at Holcim facilities across the US, including Colorado, New York, Texas and Michigan, contributing to the expected result of 40% wind and solar renewable energy across operations by the end of the year.

Holcim | holcim.us