GM FYI Blog

By J. Warchuck
Plant Manager, Rancho Cucamonga

We depend on energy to power our lives. Every day we flip on lights, power up computers and warm up lunches. But how often do you stop to think about where that energy comes from?

At our facility, we know exactly where energy comes from — our roof. As plant manager of the Rancho Cucamonga GM Service Parts Operations Parts Distribution Center in Rancho Cucamonga, I have the satisfaction of knowing the solar panels lining our roof help us keep costs down and reduce our environmental impact.

From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., solar panels power our Service Parts Distribution Warehouse where 215 employees ship nearly 76,000 customer orders to GM car dealerships across California and Arizona. Our facility will save $33,000 a year by using solar panels to power 50 percent of our operations. The energy we don’t use goes right into the California power grid, helping thousands of Californians power their own homes. For example, this past September we were able to power our plant and give back enough energy to power 210 homes within our community.

Community involvement is important to the Rancho Cucamonga team. You can see it when you walk in our building. The solar panels give us a surge of pride because we know we are helping our community move closer to energy independence and a greener future.

To see our plant in action, take a look at this video: