The upper Midwest has become a center for solar manufacturing, according to a recent New York Times story.
Michigan has seven new solar facilities and Ohio has four. These inlcude DuPont’s (NYSE: DD) $175 million facility for solar cell coatings in Ohio, and Hemlock Semiconductor’s $1 billion polycrystalline silicon plant that will provide the raw material for solar cells.
According to the story, the region’s history with machining, glass production and plastic films makes it ideal for taking up the advanced manufacturing tasks involved with solar.
In addition, both states have numerous manufacturing sites that have been closed in recent years and are available for conversion, as well as unemployed, skilled workers for solar jobs.
“Frankly, an even bigger challenge we’ve had is to invest quickly enough to keep up with market demand,” John Odom, global business director for DuPont Photovoltaic Fluoro Materials, told the Times.
Read the full story at the link below.
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