Chinese solar giant JA Solar has announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona that will produce high-performance photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
The new JA Solar plant represents a $60 million investment in Arizona manufacturing. That investment will pay for advanced, highly automated assembly lines that will produce high-efficiency solar panels (PV modules) for commercial and residential rooftop applications, as well as utility-scale solar power plant deployments — moves that could help the state significantly as it plans to beef up sustainability efforts in the years ahead.
“Arizona is proud to welcome JA Solar’s first US manufacturing facility to Phoenix,” said Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who lists “water and environment” among her top priorities on her office’s official website. “There’s no better place in the world for sustainable industries like solar, and we are excited to see this facility add to Arizona’s clean energy reputation.”
For their part, JA Solar executives seem similarly positive about the new facility’s outlook. “We are very excited to be able to set up the first US solar module manufacturing facility in Arizona to provide our customers in the US the flexibility and ease of access to (our) high-performance PV products,” said Aiqing Yang, President of JA Solar. “(Thanks to) all the partners in Arizona, especially the ACA, GPEC, and the City of Phoenix for their great support and tremendous assistance during the entire process of site selection and space leasing in preparation to establish the manufacturing facility. Solar is a critical part of renewable energy and we are thrilled to be a part of the effort to meet the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 in the US”
The new solar panel factory is expected to be operational by Q4 2023, and is expected to create more than 600 new jobs in the region. Once it’s fully operational, the company claims the new facility will have a 2 gigawatt (GW) annual production capacity. The new facility will build on other recent renewable energy announcements throughout the state of Arizona that include investments from battery manufacturers Sion Power and American Battery Factory in Tucson, and another solar module manufacturer, Meyer Burger, in Goodyear.
Source: JA Solar, via AZCommerce.
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Source: Clean Technica