Suntech to Build First U.S. Plant in Goodyear, Ariz.
Announcing late last year that it would establish its first U.S. PV module manufacturing base in the Phoenix area, Suntech this week pinpointed the location as Goodyear, Ariz.
Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief -- PV Society, 1/28/2010
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (Wuxi, China) announced this week at the AZ4Solar Symposium in Phoenix that it has settled on the City of Goodyear, Ariz., for its first U.S.-based crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV module manufacturing plant. The Goodyear factory will begin with a production capacity of 30 MW with the potential to expand to >120 MW.
Suntech announced last year that it would be the first China-based cleantech company to bring manufacturing jobs to the United States, and said in November that it had narrowed its plant location selection down the greater Phoenix area.
The PV module manufacturer said that it selected Goodyear based on several factors, including Arizona's progressive renewable energy standards and solar policies for utility-scale and rooftop installations, the Phoenix area's supportive business climate, and the availability of local manufacturing-ready facilities.
"I am pleased to welcome Suntech to Arizona, and commend the company for choosing Goodyear as the site for its solar manufacturing operation," said Arizona Governor Jan Brewer at the announcement. "I am very serious about establishing Arizona as a leader in the renewable energy sector — we offer a strategic location with a highly skilled workforce, low payroll taxes and, now, the right incentive program to make business sense."
Suntech said the Goodyear plant will serve as a showcase for its latest PV technologies, facilitating collaboration with similar efforts going on at Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.).
