Ford Facilities To Be Powered By Local Renewable Energy

Ford Motor Company’s Dearborn Truck Plant, home of the Ford F-150 and Ford F-150 Raptor, will soon be powered by 100 percent locally sourced wind energy. More than just the truck plant, the Michigan Assembly Plant, home of the new 2019 Ford Ranger, buildings on the Ford Research and Engineering Campus and Corktown campus, and the Michigan Central Station will also be powered by renewable energy in the near future.

The commitment by Ford to create a more substantial renewable energy procurement is part of a collaboration with DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program. The partnership will support the company’s Southeast Michigan portfolio and will provide 500,000 megawatt hours of locally sourced Michigan wind energy. This is in addition to the 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panel system that has already been in place at the Michigan Assembly Plant.

With MIGreenPower, DTE electric customers will be able to join the company’s efforts to develop more Michigan-made renewable energy by matching their energy use to local wind and solar projects. Ford says that last month 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 its involvement with this new tariff.

“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 direct impact on our state.”

DTE has made plans to build additional renewable energy projects and also expand MIGreenPower to meet the increasing customer demand. As Michigan’s greatest producer of renewable energy, DTE will more than double its renewable energy generation capacity. DTE is investing an additional $2 billion in wind and solar energy by 2024. DTE is delivering on its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050 through its investment in renewable energy and other clean energy sources.