Chinese firm to build solar plant in US

Chinese solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings is planning to build a 100,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing plant in the Phoenix area of Arizona.  The company said the facility will start building solar panels by the third quarter of 2010 and will eventually employ 250 or more people.  Suntech selected the Phoenix area for its plant because of ArizonaÔÇÖs leadership in solar research through Arizona State University and the stateÔÇÖs renewable energy policies.  It marks a major step in the firmÔÇÖs long-term plans to increase its market share in the US.  The company estimates it already has about 12 to 13 percent of US market share, with a goal of reaching 20 percent by the end of 2010. Suntech will be the first Chinese cleantech firm to bring manufacturing jobs to the US. ÔÇ£Bringing manufacturing jobs to the US is part of SuntechÔÇÖs vision to grow the solar market in every corner of the world,ÔÇØ said SuntechÔÇÖs chairman and CEO Zhengrong Shi in a statement.  ÔÇ£We are eagerly watching growing markets and see the potential of bringing manufacturing capabilities to other markets where we see the combination of rapid local market growth and manufacturing cost competitiveness.ÔÇØ The new plant will initially employ 75 full-time employees; however, staff numbers may double within the year as US demand for solar power increases.  The firm wants to site the plant close to its US customers in order to reduce the time, costs and emissions associated with shipping Suntech panels.  ÔÇ£Suntech has been a leader to watch for some time, and its decision to bring manufacturing here to the US is a great sign of the increasingly important collaboration between Chinese and American leaders in the renewable energy industry, as well as the potential for growth of green jobs in countries that implement smart, supportive policies,ÔÇØ said Dan Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Suntech has not confirmed the cost of building the plant; however, it has applied for a 30 percent investment tax credit from the stimulus package that applies to solar manufacturing in the US, according to a report in the New York Times. *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *