Ford to Convert Auto Plant to Clean Tech ManufacturingA Ford car plant which was recently shut down as part of cost savings by the car maker is being converted into a facility for renewable energy companies. The facility in Wixom, Michigan, which at the height of production had about 5,000 workers, closed in 2007 with the loss of 1,000 jobs. The site will now be converted into a business park for a series of renewable energy companies, which the backers claim could generate about 4,000 jobs. Ford said it has been working with energy storage system provider Xtreme Power and solar panel maker Clairvoyant Energy, who will be the first companies to take up residency in the 320-acre site and its 4.7 million square feet of plant space. The two renewable energy providers have invested about $725m (£635m) to redevelop the site, with work expected to begin early next year and clean tech manufacturing expected to get underway in 2011. "The Wixom Assembly Plant served Ford well for half a century and we wanted to ensure it served Michigan well into the future," said Ford executive chairman Bill Ford. "Thanks to the collaborative efforts of two visionary energy companies and the leadership of state and local officials, we are transforming our Wixom facility into one of the largest renewable energy parks in the U.S. I can't imagine a better way to use this facility -- for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren." Although Ford and the other companies involved discussed their role
in developing the site, the backers also admit that state and local
incentives were key to the project including refundable battery and
photovoltaic tax credits, Michigan Economic Growth Authority employment
tax credits, Renaissance Zone tax incentives and brownfield tax credits. For its part, Clairvoyant Energy says it will have the capacity to
produce more than 2.5 million solar panels a year at the Wixom site,
which the company claims could equate to the need for one large coal
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