DTE Energy is building a 1 MW solar canopy and carport project at Ford Motor Co.'s headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.
The project will provide employees with 360 covered parking spaces and 30 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles. DTE Energy will construct, operate and maintain the carport for 20 years. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and be completed in early 2015.
The solar installation is part of DTE Energy's SolarCurrents program, which aims to enable the utility to generate 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2015.
This is the second solar collaboration between Ford and DTE Energy. In 2010, the companies teamed up to install a 500 kW solar power panel system at Ford's assembly plant in Wayne, Mich. Energy generated by the system helps power vehicle production at the plant, where Ford Focus, Focus Electric, C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi are built.
