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An old automotive saying that well-built vehicles by Ford Motor Co. keep on going many years after competitors’ models have been scrapped can now be applied to old Ford assembly plants! 

PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation, which in turn is majority owned by Cypress Semiconductor, is to use 175,000 square feet in the historic (listed) Ford Assembly Plant in Richmond, California, originally built in 1930!

We have noted recently that other solar wafer/module producers have been seen to be acquiring dormant fabs both in Germany and North America, but PowerLight’s use of a 1930s automotive assembly line puts a new spin on the old Ford motorhead phrase.

Note: The plant (see below) was designed by Albert Kahn, an industrial architect who built many facilities for Ford, among others, and pioneered natural lighting workplaces. Strange, then, that glass frontage buildings using dark tints are all the current rage, boosting artificial light and unnecessary energy usage. I am sure the irony has not been lost on PowerLight!