Rolling out electric vehicles like there’s no tomorrow is not enough to make a significant difference in our fight against climate change. We’ll also have to pay attention to the way in which we make these vehicles. After all, the impact of a car running on electricity would probably be nullified by the fact the assembly process and recharging operations still rely on dirty energy.
Knowing this, but also faced with increased energy prices, carmakers are now moving toward greener ways of generating the energy they need for the manufacturing process and whatnot. And what can be greener than solar power?
In most places on this Earth, the emergence of solar panel farms has accelerated, but the pace seems to be particularly rapid over in Europe, where several high-profile global carmakers are based. Ford is not native to Europe, but it has plenty of operations there, and most of them are following the solar panel trend.
The latest Ford facility to go down this path is the Spanish one called Ford Almussafes. Located in the Spanish city of Valencia, it is one of the carmaker’s largest carmaking plants outside of the United States, spitting out close to half a million vehicles per year, currently from the Kuga, Galaxy, S-MAX, Mondeo, and Transit Connect families.
With facilities spread over 270 acres, it currently employs some 5,400 people, and they all need power to go about their business. From now on, part of that power will come from a new solar panel farm freshly installed at the location.
The effort is part of Ford’s push to have all of its European facilities and operations carbon-neutral by the middle of the next decade. Although that doesn’t mean the company and its products will no longer generate harmful emissions, but only offset them through various means, it does come as a step in the right direction.
The panels installed at Almussafes have the capacity to generate 2.8 megawatts of power, but in the coming months, the output is expected to grow by another 2.2 megawatts. By 2024, the goal is to have the major European facility generate 10 megawatts of power. For reference, at the time of writing the output of the solar panel farm is enough to power 1,400 typical Spanish homes for one year.
All panels are for now installed on the ground, in a non-productive part of Ford’s Spanish facility, but more panels will probably be installed on the roofs of the buildings located there.
Harnessing solar power for energy is just one of the steps Ford is making toward a green future in Europe. Forced by the continent’s regulators, just like other major players in the industry, the American giant plans to sell only electric vehicles from 2035.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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