Detroit’s DTE Energy to Power Little Caesars Arena with Renewable Energy During NHL’s Green Month

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DTE Energy in Detroit plans to power Little Caesars Arena with renewable energy for the Detroit Red Wings’ five home games played during March in honor of the National Hockey League’s Green Month.

The initiative is league-wide and addresses environmental changes and encourages stadiums, fans, and teams to live more sustainably. The Red Wings’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday is designated Green Night. DTE will serve as the evening’s presenting sponsor through its MIGreenPower voluntary renewable energy program.

“The Red Wings, like many of our customers, are looking for ways to minimize their environmental impact,” says Irene Dimitry, vice president of business planning and development at DTE. “As a company, we know we can play an active, critical role in reducing impacts to our environment, especially climate change.

“We’ve started work on our own long-term plan to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050, and renewable, cleaner energy plays a significant role in meeting this goal.”

The first 5,000 fans entering the arena Thursday will receive a Red Wings/MIGreenPower T-shirt. Fans who are DTE customers will also have an opportunity to sign up for the MIGreenPower program at the other home games on March 20, 22, and 31.

DTE launched MIGreenPower in April 2017. Customers who join the program can reduce their electricity-based carbon footprint and attribute up to 100 percent of their energy use to DTE’s newest renewable energy projects in Michigan, including the Pinnebog Wind Park in Huron County and three solar arrays in Detroit and Lapeer.

DTE built a new substation with an underground electrical system to power the multi-use facility. The arena’s electrical system allows staff to monitor the venue’s energy load and reroute power as needed. One of its energy-saving features is its 16.5 million LED lights.

The company plans to add 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy to its power capacity as part of its carbon reduction initiative, including the Pine River wind park, which will be located in mid-Michigan and the company’s largest and most cost-effective wind project to date. This will also be the company’s first wind park since the passage of Michigan’s energy legislation requiring energy providers achieve a renewable portfolio standard of 12.5 percent by 2019 and 15 percent by 2021. DTE plans to increase its wind generation capacity with another project in early 2020.