US DoE Supports SoloPower Thin Film PV Module Factory
San Jose CA (SPX) Feb 28, 2011 SoloPower has announced that it has received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office for a $197 million loan guarantee. The funds will support construction of a facility that, when completed and at full capacity, is expected to produce approximately 400MW of thin film Photovoltaic (PV) modules annually. "This announcement is the latest confirmation that when it comes to energy policy, Oregon is on the right side of history," said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. "The project in Wilsonville will hire hundreds of highly skilled, highly paid Oregonians to manufacture the latest in renewable energy technology. Oregon is already an epicenter for renewable energy projects. A loan guarantee to help companies such as SoloPower get important projects off the ground is the right approach that will keep Oregon where it belongs - at the forefront of technology. I look forward to working with the folks at SoloPower in putting Oregonians to work creating the products that represent the future of renewable energy." SoloPower CEO Tim Harris added, "We appreciate and commend the DOE's emphasis on supporting innovative, clean-tech companies as a way to further the goal of energy independence while stimulating employment and helping secure our nation's manufacturing base in this important emerging industry." Mr. Harris stated: "This backing allows us to rapidly ramp up our production and to promote the spread of clean, distributed solar power to the rooftops and on the ground, while providing hundreds of quality manufacturing jobs using some of the most advanced technology in the world." SoloPower announced earlier this year that it had come to an agreement to construct its first large-scale high volume manufacturing plant in Wilsonville, Oregon. Retrofit of the existing building is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2011. The factory is expected to provide direct employment to approximately 500 people once it is running at full capacity. About 270 construction jobs will be created to build the plant, and additional jobs are also likely to be generated in the local supply chain. SoloPower's family of lightweight flexible modules are certified to both UL and IEC standards with up to 260 Wp/panel, and are being sold in small volumes to leading customers in five countries.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links SoloPower All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com
Parity Solar Achieves MCS Accreditation Zhenjiang, China (SPX) Feb 25, 2011 Following a rigorous review of the company's manufacturing processes, materials, procedures and products carried out in China by the British Board of Agrement, Parity Solar is delighted to confirm that it will be one of the first manufacturers able to supply high quality thin film solar modules with MCS certification as well as the TuV accreditation achieved in 2010. Global manufacturer of ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |