Suniva Opens the South’s First Solar Cell Factory

(BUSINESS WIRE)--At a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning, Suniva Inc., a manufacturer of high value crystalline silicon solar cells, officially opened the first solar factory in the Southeastern US with the help of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Located in the Atlanta metro area, Suniva’s manufacturing facility will create over 100 high-paying, permanent green jobs by year-end 2009 and even more as it ramps to full production capacity in 2010.

Governor Perdue spoke at the event about the company’s importance to the state economy and Georgia’s presence on the national energy stage, “With patents developed in the laboratories of Georgia Tech, Suniva’s story is a prime example of how Georgia can lead the nation by teaming the strengths of public and private institutions,” said Governor Perdue. “Georgia made a strong commitment to the clean energy industry through its Energy Innovation Center and Bioenergy Corridor, and Suniva’s new facility makes us one of the first states in the nation manufacturing solar cell technology.”

Today’s announcement comes at a crossroads in the nation’s pursuit of new energy policies during tough economic times. President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team have discussed advancing the new energy economy as part of the US’s economic recovery plan. As a company whose major intellectual property was developed in a government-funded lab, Suniva is a stand out example of how government-backed initiatives can generate new US-based companies and facilitate the growth of renewable energy production and adoption.

Suniva’s founder and CTO, Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, who is also the founder and director of Georgia Tech’s University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education (UCEP) funded directly through the Department of Energy (DOE), spoke at the event: “Though Suniva is barely a year old, in some ways today’s ceremony is twenty years in the making. My life’s work in advancing solar technologies has been made possible as a direct result of government funding and involvement with Georgia Tech. Suniva is the realization of all those years of hard work.”

In October — less than six months after announcing plans to build a manufacturing facility — Suniva completed installation of its first production line in this new facility and began shipping its proprietary ARTisun™ solar cells. Suniva’s solar cells are delivered to solar module manufacturers around the world under existing contracts worth over USD$1B.

“As the U.S. economy retools to become an international leader in the new energy economy, Suniva stands at the forefront, supplying a superior homegrown product to the international solar industry,” said John Baumstark, CEO of Suniva. “With our first factory officially open today, we are driving down the cost of solar and keeping clean energy technology and jobs in the US.”

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Georgia Welcomes Its First Solar Cell Manufacturing Facility

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Suniva, Inc., will locate its first solar cell facility, and Georgia’s first solar manufacturing plant, in Norcross. Working with technological advances developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Atlanta-based company will manufacture high-efficiency solar cells. Suniva anticipates the new operation will create around 100 jobs within the first year.

“This new solar cell facility is a perfect example of the way Georgia’s investment in research and development pays dividends by producing innovative technologies that help companies grow,” said Governor Perdue. “Suniva’s production commitment and highly-qualified workforce will expand our clean energy success as the nation’s renewable energy corridor into the solar arena.”

Suniva’s new Gwinnett County facility will manufacture high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells. Production capacity of the first line will be 32 megawatts (MW). The company plans additional lines that will scale to more than 100 MW over the next two years, potentially adding more jobs to its workforce.

“As the solar industry looks to bring down costs and compete with conventional power, Suniva has built the team and the technology to execute on our vision of low-cost, high-efficiency solar energy,” said John Baumstark, CEO of Suniva. “We are pleased to be moving into our next phase of growth close to home, and we are interested in working with state and local government to create an ecosystem of clean energy companies in the Atlanta metro area.”

“We are proud that Suniva has chosen Gwinnett as a place to do business,” added Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister. “We are confident that our workforce will be a major factor in the company’s success with this cutting-edge, leading solar technology.”

Headquartered in Atlanta, Suniva develops, manufactures and markets high-value crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells for clean solar power generation. The company has an exclusive license to critical patents and patent-pending intellectual property developed by founder and CTO Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics, the nation’s premier silicon PV research center.

“Suniva is home-grown technology coming right out of our own Georgia Institute of Technology,” said Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “Our world-class universities and highly-skilled talent continue to solidify metro Atlanta’s reputation as a hotbed for high-tech companies.”

The Technology Association of Georgia recently recognized Suniva as one of the state’s Top 10 Innovative Technology Companies, based on the company’s technical innovation, likelihood of success and financial impact. The Georgia Department of Economic Development partnered in Suniva’s location with the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Costas Simoglou was the project manager for GDEcD.

Alternative energy development is a significant portion of Georgia’s state energy plan and one of the state’s industries targeted for strategic growth. The state is already known as The Bioenergy Corridor, the nation’s path to renewable energy, due to its strengths in academic research and development, public and private partnerships and manufacturing base. Georgia is home to manufacturing facilities for biodiesel, ethanol from agricultural crops, wood pellets and cellulosic ethanol. In addition, Georgia Tech Research Institute experts help advance alternative energy and storage technologies in a variety of applications, including fuel cells, solar energy, batteries, super capacitors and biofuels.