Ford Motor Company | North America
Early industrial solar air heating installations across seven Ford plants.
Canada & United States · SolarWall installation
← Global projects
Engineering the right
source of useful heat.
The engineering approach, system integration and project outcomes.
The challenge
Ford manufacturing sites sought to lower operating fuel consumption and improve comfort in very large facilities that required significant make-up air and suffered from temperature stratification.
The solution
The first system was installed at Ford Oakville in 1986, then converted to perforated metal SolarWall collectors in 1990. The programme subsequently extended to other Ford assembly and stamping facilities. The Oakville installation used ducting and fans to distribute heated air and reduce ceiling heat stratification.
Published outcomes
Conserval’s historical Ford case study reports seven large plants, 385,000 MMBTU annual energy consumption reduction across the programme and more than $10 million in cumulative energy savings at the publication date.
Historical manufacturer case study.
Integration details.
Project highlights
- Oakville assembly, Ontario
- Walton Hills and other North American plants
- Ventilation, heating and indoor comfort
Project documentation
Download the technical case study and explore the project.
A SolarWall installation in the Ford manufacturing portfolio.
Could a similar approach work at your plant?
Each facility requires its own weather and heat-demand study, collector sizing and financial assessment.
Download the project profile
Detailed information on the system and project application.
Download case study PDF ↓