FORD TURNS PARKING LOTS INTO SOLAR POWER GENERATORS
- Ford is utilizing solar panel-covered parking lots at manufacturing sites in Thailand and South Africa.
- The solar parking lots at the facilities contributer significant energy towards manufacturing.
- Ford is aiming for 100% carbon-free electricity for its global manufacturing by 2035.
Despite what recent moves would have you believe, Ford is still committed to its sustainable future, and one of its largest manufacturing changes is paying off in a big way. The company has been utilizing parking lots covered in solar panels for the past couple of years at two major manufacturing sites in Thailand and South Africa. This has been contributing significant energy towards its manufacturing efforts.
Ford
Ford is one of America's oldest automakers and one of the oldest in the world, popularized for being the first to effectively mass produce the automobile under Henry Ford with the Ford Model T. In over 120 years, Ford has become a sales leader in a variety of segments, with popular nameplates like the Ford F-150, Transit, and Mustang.
The two facilities include the Silverton Assembly Plant and Ford Thailand Manufacturing, which produce the Ranger and Everest SUV. The latter is essentially an SUV version of the midsize truck, with its newest generation debuting in 2022. It features a rugged, high-riding design with a very modern appearance, and we were immediately jealous it wasn't coming to the US. Further green production makes the models even more appealing, and we hope to see this expand to facilities in the US.
Solar Panels And Parking Lots Just Make Sense
It's hard to believe how much of the world we dedicate to parking lots. It's truly a waste of space, but exploring dual-use solutions to problems like this is what allows automakers to vary their approaches to carbon neutrality. Ford's Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, South Africa, the company has created a 13.5-megawatt solar parking lot that provides shade for more than 3,500 parking spaces and generates enough power to create 20,800 Rangers and Everests a year.
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"Car parks have incredible potential for photovoltaic systems, converting solar energy into electricity. The advantage is that they provide shelter for finished vehicles from the rain and excessive heat while also providing power for nearby facilities." - Andrea Cavallaro, Director of Operations, International Market Group, Ford
At the same time, in Thailand, the company has erected a 7.7-megawatt solar parking lot that was recently activated. Here, 1,500 vehicles can find shade underneath the panels, and about 21,000 Rangers and Ranger Raptors can be made a year from the power. Another 8-megawatt floating solar energy array is planned to go online near the Rayong, Thailand Facility later this year, which will complement the 6-megawatt array already in place there and make it one of the largest arrays in the region.
Part Of Ford's Carbon-Neutrality Goal
The hope is that changes like this will allow Ford to source 100% carbon-free electricity for its global manufacturing by 2035, with the company already saying it's achieved 70.5% of its way toward that goal around the world. This adds to the larger goal the company has for its entire business, including its suppliers, going carbon-neutral by 2050. While we're still a ways off from solar-powered cars, this is a great first step.
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If you're wondering why the company doesn't employ tactics like this here in the US, well, it already does, featuring solar panels at facilities like the Ford Research & Engineering Center in Dearborn, Michigan. That facility uses an array on the rooftop of the facility's parking garage that provides 1,127 megawatt hours of clean energy. Unfortunately, for our climate here in the US, solar panels aren't always the best option for clean energy, which is why Ford is supplementing its clean energy efforts with wind projects.