Ford, DTE Energy to Build Solar Array

Ford Motor Co. is teaming with DTE Energy to build Michigan’s largest solar array at Ford World Headquarters. The project, funded by DTE Energy, will provide employees with 360 covered parking spaces and 30 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles such as the company’s Ford Fusion Energi and C-MAX Hybrid Energi. A kiosk will also be on-site offering general information to visitors about solar power and specific details about the Ford carport.

The solar canopy will have capacity to generate 1.038 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 158 average-sized homes. It will be the second-largest solar carport in the Midwest, after a 1.1-megawatt facility at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, and it will reduce the amount of electricity Ford pulls from the grid to run its offices. The solar array will offset an estimated 794 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The solar installation is part of an initiative DTE Energy launched in 2009 called SolarCurrents. The program works to fulfill DTE Energy’s commitment to generate 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2015. This is the second collaboration between Ford and DTE Energy in recent years. www.ford.com, www.dteenergy.com