Ford to build solar energy system to power production of electric and hybrid vehicles

[jpak]

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9HI310G0

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is teaming up with two utilities to build a solar power generation system used to provide energy for production of the automaker's electric and hybrid vehicles.

Ford, Detroit Edison and Austin, Texas-based Xtreme Power will build the power station at the automaker's assembly plant in Wayne, Mich.

The 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panel system will be integrated with a 750 kilowatt facility that can store two million watt-hours of energy using batteries.

Energy generated by the station will help power production of Ford's Focus and Focus Electric cars and future hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the company said.

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[drm604]

1. Very cool! n/t

[madokie]

2. Thats the way that we get our energy independence

a little here and a little there and pretty soon we have no need for offshore and foreign oil. Plus we can phase out the aging nuclear power plants as their designed lifespans run out.

Just think where we'd be today if we'd stayed with what President Carter tried to get us set up with.

[tsuki]

3. Hansgrohe started using solar in 1993.

Hansgrohe was a green company before sustainability became the latest fashion
and mega-trend. We believe in sustainability and in taking care of the planet — not only
in the material composition and performance of our products, but also throughout the
overall operation of our business. For example:

We started using solar energy to power our factory in Offenburg, Germany, in
1993, and we were the first manufacturer in Europe to do so.

We have water-saving showers and faucets that reduce usage by 15% to 50%
without loss in performance.

We have developed and successfully marketed in Europe the Pontos®
AquaCycle®, a graywater recycling system that treats bath and shower water and
then uses it to flush toilets and water the lawn, saving fresh water resources. The
system has been shown to save a household of four to five people up to nearly
24,000 gallons annually — that’s 2,000 per month or 500 per week. Consumers
no longer need feel guilty about enjoying that extra time in the shower when they
can use that water twice with AquaCycle.

http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/cps/rde/xbcr/us_en/publications/US/PR_Wheeler_QA.pdf

[gateley]

4. Impressive! Thanks for the link. nt