Wind power is expanding at Ford Motor Co.
On Feb. 21 the company announced that its Dearborn Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant, and several new buildings on the Ford Research and Engineering Campus and Corktown campus, including Michigan Central Station, will soon be powered by 100% locally sourced renewable energy.
This is in addition to the 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panel system already in place at Michigan Assembly.
Ford will source the energy from DTE Energy as part of a commitment by Ford to a substantial renewable energy procurement through DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program. It will use 500,000-megawatt hours of Michigan wind energy.
“Ford is proud to be a part of this initiative, as it builds on the early achievement of our aggressive 30% per vehicle carbon reduction target,” said Andy Hobbs, Director, Environmental Quality Office. “That early achievement reduced the company’s annual footprint by 3.4 million metric tons.”
With MIGreenPower, DTE electric customers can join the company’s efforts to develop more Michigan-made renewable energy by matching their energy use to local wind and solar projects. In January, DTE received approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to expand its voluntary renewable offerings to include a tariff designed specifically for large corporate and industrial customers. Ford is the first company to announce involvement with this new tariff.
DTE plans to build additional renewable energy projects and expand MIGreenPower to meet increasing customer demand. As the state’s largest producer of renewable energy, DTE will more than double its renewable energy generation capacity, investing an additional $2 billion in wind and solar by 2024. Through its investment in renewable energy and other clean energy sources, DTE is delivering on its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80% by 2050.
“Ford supports the implementation of renewable energy where the project can be tied to the customer’s facility, either directly or through the local distribution utility, and we believe that supports local jobs, improves the local environment and adds resiliency to the local grid,” said George Andraos, Ford Global Director of Energy and Technology. “This project is a great investment for the State of Michigan and will have a direct impact on our state.”
