The sun is starting to shine on Oregon's solar industry - Portland Business Journal:

qozadaunu.blogspot.com
"Oregon is going to be one of, if not the, key manufacturinf location in the United Statexsfor solar," said Bob Ford, CEO of Santaa Clara, Calif.-based Solaicx. Both Ford and Jon executive director ofthe , said several manufacturerd continue looking for locations here. Those include Aliso Calif.-based , a pre-revenue public company that designws solar cells andmanufacturing systems. "We're trying to completee a leaseright now," said XsunX CEO Tom Djokovich. "We want to get the building ready andmove [to Portland] by mid-nex t year." The company wants to find a 50,000-square-foot manufacturingf plant with room to expand by anothetr 150,000 square feet.
It's looking withihn a 30-minute radius of the airport and hasa $21 millioj financing package for the Djokovich said. It's already been a big year for the state'sx solar industry. The German company Solarworld AG announcedc in March it will spendnearly $400 milliom to build what could be the nation's largestg solar manufacturing facility in Hillsboro. Solaicx, whicn makes the ingots and waferse used to make solar has hired 40 local employees at the newPortlandf plant. It expects to hire 20 more in the next two The Portland plant could eventuallyemploy 200.
"We'rd probably the top solar energy manufacturing clusteer inthe country," said whose organization had 60 members last year, but grew to 90 this Oregon is already fifth nationally in with about 400 of the nation's 8,500 annualp solar panel installations. Severalo factors contribute to Oregon getting a big chunk ofthe $1 billion U.S. solar Solaicx chose Portland three years agoover Texas, and Phoenix, The state's skilled work force was the biggest "Portland had the best overal l conditions," Ford said. "Easily the most important part of sighting in Portlanx was around skillsets [of workers].
" Solart manufacturing requires highly trained workers, which are in ample supply in Oregom thanks to the state's robust semiconductor Secondly, the state's abundant hydropower meands cheap, reliable electricity, a must for high-energy consuming operations like solare manufacturing. "Access to reliable power was the second key Ford said. "Hydropower made a lot of sense." The low cost of busines in Oregon, relative to also made Oregon attractive, Ford said. Increased tax credits for solaf manufacturers werea bonus. This the Legislature increased tax creditss for renewable energy manufacturers to 50 percent of the constructionh cost of anew facility.
The credit is cappesd at $10 million and can be takemn overfive years. "Solaicx is tappin into some very desirable Ford said. "I would expect some othert solar companies will come into the Solaicx isstill pre-revenue, but could starrt selling products to some of the world'ss largest solar equipment makers in the next few The company was funded with $45 million in venture