X
Home & Office

Ford turns to wind power

Ford is going to be using wind power. Not to actually power their cars, but to power a car factory in Belgium.
Written by Harry Fuller, Contributor

Ford is going to be using wind power. Not to actually power their cars, but to power a car factory in Belgium.

Ford of Europe announced that its plant in Genk, Belgium will now be generating electricity through two gigantic wind turbines, each with a height of 150 metres. Installed by local energy company, Electrabel, each unit has an output of two megawatts of power, enough to power 2,500 private homes. The wind turbines will deliver a significant part of the electrical power needed in the Genk Plant, production home of the Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy models.

Wind is not a new Ford investment. Ford's Dagenham Diesel Centre in the UK became the world's first automotive plant to meet all its electricity needs from two giant on-site turbines.

A third turbine is expected to come into service in Dagenham in 2010, allowing the plant to remain 100 per cent powered by wind-generated electricity, following the installation of a new 1.4/1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine production line. A new three-bladed turbine, provided by Ecotricity, will be commissioned to produce two megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1,000 homes.

Editorial standards