As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cars, General Motors is well known as a big user of energy. They have recently teamed with the World Wildlife Fund and World Resources Institute to increase their use of renewable energy. Along with a dozen other companies, GM is set to make a huge increase in the worldwide demand for renewable energy sources.

The car giant and the other companies and NGOs in this group set out the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles. This outlines the goals and challenges for some of the world’s biggest industrial companies to increase their usage of more environmentally friendly sources of energy. Their total goal is to use 8.4m megawatt hours of renewable energy per year.

Along with being a great advance for environmental groups, it is also a big bonus for companies involved in renewable energy production. It will also underscore the importance of creating a reliable and well maintained system of renewable energy supply.

Nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies have already set clean energy or climate targets, but this new group seeks to expand these goals and surpass what they have been doing. This will mean a lower operating cost for them and an increased demand for renewable energy.

Renewable energy suppliers will also likely see this as a time of new investment. To meet these new demands, it is crucial that all parts of their generators are working to the best possible standards. Hydraulic pumps and hydraulic cylinders often face extreme environments. Keeping everything running smoothly for offshore wind turbines or deep sea tidal generators will be crucial to supplying this massive amount of energy.

It is also expected that with large corporations leading the way, and potentially investing large amounts in clean energy options, smaller companies and other energy users will make the change to renewable source energy. Because of this, it is important that the renewable energy sector look for the best products for their needs, such as Apex’s Corex coated hydraulic cylinders. These give superior and long lasting quality when compared to the industry standard hard chrome plating. Using improved cylinders will mean a long term benefit for both the energy suppliers and the companies being supplied with the clean energy.