FORD PLANT REBORN WITH NEW ENERGY

Ford Wixom Vehicle Assembly Plant Gains New Lease on Life as Renewable Energy Park
September 10, 2009 (PR Newswire via Reuters)

"Ford Motor Company… Xtreme Power…and Clairvoyant Energy…[announced] that the idled Wixom Assembly Plant will be transformed into one of the nation's largest renewable energy manufacturing parks.

"Clairvoyant Energy and Xtreme Power plan an initial investment of more than $725 million to redevelop the 320-acre plant site and its 4.7 million square feet of building space to manufacture solar power and energy storage systems, respectively. The two companies will utilize approximately half of the square footage to manufacture their products, and will seek additional green-energy manufacturing and support companies to lease the remaining space…[ State and local incentives, including refundable battery and photovoltaic tax credits, Michigan Economic Growth Authority employment tax credits, Renaissance Zone tax incentives and brownfield tax credits, were key to closing the deal]…"

click to enlarge

"The redevelopment work at the Wixom site [one of Ford's largest and oldest manufacturing plants with production since 1957] is expected to begin early next year with manufacturing at the site slated to begin in late 2011. [I]deal for redevelopment for new manufacturing facilities…[ The Wixom site has] rail and electrical power access and critical scalability with more than 4.7 million square feet of space for anufacturing…The redevelopment plan is expected to create more than 4,000 direct jobs, including local suppliers, as well as support thousands of indirect jobs.

"Ford has been working with the developers and state and local officials over the past nine months on a high-impact, environmentally responsible redevelopment plan for the 52-year-old auto plant that has produced such iconic vehicles as the Ford Thunderbird, Ford GT and Lincoln Continental…[The eco-responsible transformation of the Ford Wixom site is consistent with Ford's commitment to environmental sustainability and Michigan's efforts to diversify its economy and become a leader in the clean, renewable energy industry. The redevelopment includes a proposed Renewable Energy Research and Training Center]…"

click to enlarge

"Xtreme Power will renovate more than 1 million square feet of the Wixom site to manufacture large-scale power systems that store renewable energy such as solar and wind power and redeliver that power when needed. Once completed, Xtreme Power will produce turnkey power systems, which will support up to 10,000 megawatts of wind and solar power projects around the world. Xtreme Power systems enable high penetration rates of renewable power onto the grid and will be a critical component of the 21st century power infrastructure…

"Clairvoyant Energy will redevelop a portion of the site to build state-of-the-art, high-efficiency solar panels. Clairvoyant Energy, which has developed solar power park operations in California and Spain, is developing similar solar photovoltaic systems throughout the world. Once completed, Clairvoyant will have the capacity to produce more than 2.5 million solar panels a year at the Wixom site, potentially replacing the need for one large coal plant every year…Oerlikon Solar USA, Clairvoyant's technology partner and a leader in thin-film solar manufacturing technology…will [also] establish a new regional office at the Wixom site as part of the new renewable energy park…"