DEARBORN, MI -- Ford Motor Co. said it has teamed up with SunPower Corp. to offer customers a rooftop solar power system that will provide Focus Electric owners with enough clean, renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge the vehicle.

“Under the ‘Drive Green for Life’ program, Focus Electric owners can reduce their total cost of ownership by generating enough energy from their high-efficiency SunPower rooftop solar system to offset the electricity required to charge the vehicle at night,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford director of global vehicle electrification and infrastructure. “It’s an eco-friendly solution that perfectly complements our plug-in products and other green initiatives.”

The 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system comprises the SunPower E18 Series solar panels that produce an average of 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. These high-efficiency solar panels generate approximately 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels and use a smaller footprint on the roof, Ford said. The system was sized to accommodate a customer who drives about 1,000 miles per month.

The complete SunPower solar system is offered at a base price of less than $10,000, after federal tax credits. Local and state rebates, along with other incentives, may drive the system cost down even more, depending on a customer’s location. Included in the purchase is a residential monitoring system, which can track the performance of the solar power system on the Web or through an iPhone application.