汽车制造商正在寻找降低电力成本和温室气体排放量的方法，以及越来越多地转向利用太阳能来为工厂供电。
一个新的500千瓦太阳能电场在福特密歇根组装厂已开始供电。该太阳能电场将整合一个750千瓦、2兆瓦时的储能系统，足以供应100个密歇根家庭一年的电量。一个50千瓦时的设施也将建成，以展示用过的动力电池还可用于固定的储能设备。
Car manufacturers are looking to lower their electricity costs and greenhouse gas emissions - and increasingly turning to solar energy to power parts of their operations.
A new 500 kilowatt solar farm at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant has begun generating electricity to help power the facility. The solar farm will be integrated with a 750-kilowatt energy storage facility based on deep cycle batteries capable of storing 2 million watt-hours – enough to power 100 average Michigan homes for a year. A 50-kilowatt-hour facility will also be constructed to demonstrate the possible reuse of vehicle electric batteries for stationary energy storage.
The solar electricity generated will will help power production of Ford’s new Focus and Focus Electric, as well as next-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
A smaller solar power system will also be installed at the Michigan facility to generate electricity for lighting. Additionally, Ford will install 10 electric vehicle charging stations at Michigan Assembly to showcase advanced battery charging technologies for vehicles with renewable energy.
The company's Michigan initiative will act as a pilot project with view to more solar power installations at other Ford facilities.
Across the pond in the UK, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK has submitted a planning application to South Derbyshire District Council for a ground-mounted solar array consisting of 17,000 solar panels; capable of supplying approximately 5% of its Burnaston plant's yearly electricity requirements. If approved, the solar farm will avoid 45,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the lifetime of the panels.
Under the arrangement, Toyota's partner in the £10million project, British Gas, will claim the feed-in tariff.