Treehugger recently wrote about this article in the New York Times spotlighting General Motors for switching to solar power for electricity in some of their buildings. The reason why the General's accountants are so happy is because they're saving money on their electric bill and there wasn't a single penny to pay for upfront costs.

Take GM's parts building in Cucamonga, California. The photovoltaic cells that are installed on the building's roof can generate about 1.5 million kilowatt hours per year, however, GM buys the electricity from the cells just as they would from the grid. That's where the solar developer called Deers (Developing Energy Efficient Roof Systems) comes in. They signed GM to a long-term contract, bought the equipment and then installed it. And now, GM expects that the system will reduce their overall electricity costs by 10 percent.

Kamesh Gupta, manager of planning and programs for General Motors Energy and Utility Services, said that, "the savings are small, but it's exciting to create such an environmentally sound project without any need to shell out capital." To us, it sounds like a winning effort for all parties involved as well as the environment.

[Source: New York Times via Treehugger]