Aug 13 2014
Suniva Inc., America’s leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-efficiency crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and high-power solar modules, today announced that construction of its second U.S. solar manufacturing facility has begun this week.
The new facility, located in Saginaw Township, Michigan, will provide up to 200MW of additional capacity of its highly-regarded American-made modules, as a supplement to its existing manufacturing facility at its headquarters, in Norcross, Georgia.
The state-of-the-art facility will be designed and engineered by William A. Kibbe & Associates, Inc. Suniva has selected multiple Michigan-based contractors to complete the 129,000 sq. ft. solar module assembly facility located in the former Sears Warehouse building on Schust Road.
“The U.S. is now one of the top three markets for the global solar industry. Given that, expanding our U.S. manufacturing operation makes a lot of sense and we believe Michigan is the ideal location. With the region’s rich manufacturing history, we have a highly-skilled workforce to draw from and many key supply chain partners in the area. Michigan is a central location with the logistics infrastructure that makes it very easy for us to move our products,” said Marc Rogovin, vice president of corporate services of Suniva.
Suniva posted over 65 job openings on July 25th and is finalizing its initial round of hiring this week. Ultimately, the company plans to create a total of 350 jobs, as the plant scales to full capacity.
The new facility further strengthens Suniva’s position as America’s leading solar module manufacturer, employing a higher percentage of American workers than any other tier-1 solar manufacturer. The company currently produces its high-powered Optimus monocrystalline module line with power ratings up to 280W (60-cell format) and an industry-leading 330W (72-cell format).