Ford: Greener production in Michigan’s plant

Ford’s Michigan Plant has the first part of a large solar power generation system installed and already furnishing renewable energy to help power the production of fuel-efficient small cars. This is the result of a partnership between Ford, DTE Energy, Xtreme Power, the city of Wayne and the state of Michigan.

The energy collected by the solar panels will be used in the production of the all-new Focus, which will be reaching the market this month, and also the Focus Electric, Ford’s first zero-emission battery electric passenger vehicle and the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid.

The system is being used as a pilot alternative energy project which will be evaluated for a possible use at other Ford manufacturing facilities in the future. The Michigan Assembly plan will also receive a secondary, smaller solar energy system, which will be used to supply energy to the lighting systems.

“This solar energy system allows us to test the viability of alternative energy to supply power for our manufacturing facilities around the world. It serves as a significant initiative within our corporate emphasis on sustainability,” said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president, North America Manufacturing. “Michigan Assembly Plant has been transformed into a facility that embodies our drive for flexible manufacturing and strives for new standards for green manufacturing.”

For the energy storage, Ford counted on the collaboration of DTE Energy, which is responsible for the installing of the 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panel system at Michigan Assembly. The system is integrated with a 750-kilowatt energy storage facility that is capable of storing 2 million watt-hours of energy using batteries.

The project at the Michigan Assembly is funded by a $3 million investment from DTE Energy’sSolarCurrents program, a $2 million grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission, and approximately $800,000 worth of in-kind contributions from Ford.

So the Michigan Assembly will start using a combination of renewable and conventional electricity in its electrical distribution system to power its production. The collected solar energy will go into the Dynamic Power Resource storage system, when the plant is inactive, and will later be used to provide power during periods of insufficient or inconsistent sunlight.

This storage system will be able to recharge from the smart grid during off-peak hours when energy is available at a lower cost, which can generate inexpensive power during peak operating hours when the cost per kilowatt-hour is usually higher.

“The Michigan Assembly Plant solar array builds on Ford’s other renewable energy initiatives including geothermal energy in Ohio and wind energy in the U.K. and Belgium,” said Donna Inch, chairman and CEO, Ford Land. “This is one more step in our journey toward sustainability.”