Ford opens new solar power plant in Spain

MANILA: Ford is preparing for the future with a new solar power plant at its Almussafes production facilities in Valencia, Spain.

Ford has pledged to produce only electric vehicles with zero emissions in Europe by 2035, and it has set a carbon neutrality target for all of its European suppliers and facilities. The solar power plant, which started its operations in late 2022, emphasizes Ford's ongoing efforts to fulfill that commitment.

The photovoltaic area, which converts solar energy into electricity, is located in a non-productive zone of the facility and consists of two areas of solar panels, each of which can generate enough electricity to power 1,400 average houses annually. This summer, the near to 4,641 megawatt hours per year of production will rise by 3,762 megawatt hours per year, or 1,100 more average houses. This means that Ford's Valencia plant will significantly lower its annual electricity demand from the national grid.

Ford aims to increase the areas of solar panel area on more non-productive land with the goal of reaching 10 megawatts of peak output by 2024. Studies are also being done to determine whether it might be feasible to place solar panels on factory building rooftops in the future.

“Now, more than ever, we all realize the need to use renewable energy sources. As we move to an all-electric future and carbon neutrality across our manufacturing footprint at Ford, investments in innovations like this new solar power plant in Valencia creating new self-supplied renewable energy, which is an important contribution in our ongoing ambition to help build a better world,” Ford of Europe Sustainable, Environmental, and Safety Engineering Director Stuart Southgate stated.

Since January 1, 2022, all of the electricity used by the Ford facility in Almussafes has been sourced entirely from renewable resources with all electric energy purchased to operate Ford's production facilities across Europe. Ford continuously explores ways to boost the use of renewable energy and  aims to use 100% carbon-free electricity in all production worldwide by 2035.

Photos from Ford of Europe

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