Volkswagen flipped a large ceremonial switch yesterday that
signaled the official launch of a huge array of photovoltaic
solar cells at its Chattanooga assembly plant, which builds the
Volkswagen Passat mid-size sedan. The new solar field can supply
up to 12.5 percent of the plant’s total energy needs, adding to
an already low-carbon electricity supply that includes roughly
50 percent nuclear and hydro generation. With a generating
capacity of 9.6 megawatts of direct current, the 33-acre solar
field is the largest one at any industrial plant in the world,
the largest in Tennessee, and the largest at any automaker.
Fully 65 acres of land on the 1,400-acre plant site are
dedicated to the solar array, whose total energy production is
13.1 gigawatt-hours each year—or roughly the energy used by
1,200 homes. It was designed and built, and is owned and
operated, by Silicon Ranch, at an approximate cost of $28
million. The photovoltaic solar panels are manufactured by
Phoenix Solar, the U.S. arm of a German photovolt