Plans are underway for the construction of a US$ 200M solar panel manufacturing plant in Ohio. The facility is set to be built by Invenergy. These plans come as the market for polycrystalline photovoltaic solar equipment expands in the United States.
A 5-GW annual capacity is planned for the 1.1 million square foot plant. According to JobsOhio, this is over half the capacity of all utility-scale solar installations made in the United States last year. April is the anticipated beginning of construction. 150 union construction jobs should be supported by the project. Invernergy is one of the largest solar power developers in the USA with an installed capacity of 7GW.
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According to JobsOhio, Invenergy is collaborating with Chinese solar equipment company LONGi on the project. The solar panel manufacturing plant in Ohio is located near Pataskala. This is about 20 miles east of Columbus in Licking County. Additionally, it will receive an investment of $600 million from Invenergy.
The plant’s anchor customer will also be Chicago-based Invenergy, which was voted ENR Midwest’s 2022 Owner of the Year. The company states they have constructed solar projects across the United States and abroad. Their portfolio includes 775 MW of solar energy in Ohio.
More on the solar panel manufacturing plant in Ohio
The Biden administration is also aiming to expand domestic manufacturing in the solar industry. The Inflation Reduction Act of last year provided tax credits for US solar equipment makers. Furthermore, it extended tax incentives for their use. According to the White House, the country is on track to reach a domestic solar production capacity of 22.5 GW in 2019 from 7.5 GW in 2021.
Furthermore, Invenergy’s executive vice president of global sourcing, Art Fletcher, stated in a statement that his company “recognizes the importance of having a strong domestic supply chain to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable solar power” as the leading developer and operator of solar projects in the U.S.
