With Latest Solar Arrival, Tennessee
Forging Identity as the Silicon State
Published Jan. 21, 2010
California may have its Silicon Valley, but Tennessee on Thursday solidified its emerging image as the Silicon State.
State and company officials announced that Confluence Solar, a startup that manufactures monocrystalline silicon ingots for making high-efficiency solar cells, will build a new $200 million manufacturing, warehousing and distribution center in Clinton, a town near Knoxville in eastern Tennessee.
In Clarksville, Tenn., northwest of Nashville, Michigan-based Hemlock Semiconductor has begun building a $1.2 billion polysilicon production plant, which will make the raw material that goes into crystalline silicon solar modules.
In Cleveland, Tenn., northeast of Chattanooga, Wacker Chemie A.G., based in Germany, is also starting preliminary work on a $1 billion polysilicon production plant.
In western Tennessee near Brownsville, the state is planning the West Tennessee Solar Farm, a 5-megawatt solar array intended to serve as a solar demonstration and education project off Interstate 40. Its electricity is to be sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
At the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and in nearby Knoxville, a new Tennessee Solar Institute is planned as a joint venture between the laboratory and the University of Tennessee. The institute will focus on research into improving solar conversion efficiencies and on technologies for storing solar energy.
In Memphis, Sharp USA already operates a solar module manufacturing plant using crystalline silicon technology. Japan-based Sharp is one of the world's largest solar manufacturers.
"Two years ago, we set upon a strategy to make Tennessee a significant player in the solar industry," said Gov. Phil Bredesen. "Since then, we've seen over 2 billion dollars in capital investment, more than a thousand jobs created, and with the development of the Solar Farm and existing solar companies located in West Tennessee, we have truly created a statewide solar footprint. The announcement today by Confluence Solar is further proof that Tennessee is recognized as a leader in renewable energy and that a new economic engine is emerging in our state."
The monocrystalline silicon ingots Confluence Solar will manufacture are used to make solar cells that are the most efficient at converting sunlight to energy. Modules made with such cells therefore take up less space to produce the same amount of electricity as other panels. Monocrystalline modules also have been more expensive than multicrystalline modules, which are slightly less efficient. Thin-film panels use little or no silicon and are less efficient than the crystalline silicon products.
The varying efficiencies do not mean one type is better than another or that the technologies are directly competing; the different types are used in varying applications. The most commonly chosen residential rooftop panel in California, for example, uses monocrystalline cells, while thin-film products are common in solar farms covering large swaths of ground.
"Tennessee's nationally recognized business climate and their focused solar strategy along with Clinton's close proximity to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the new Solar Institute made Tennessee the perfect location for our facility," said Tom Cadwell, CEO and co-founder of Confluence Solar, which is based near St. Louis. "The number of solar industry leaders establishing operations here and the intellectual energy surrounding solar technology provides our company, current investors, and future investors with the confidence that Tennessee is the place Confluence Solar needs to be."
The company's operation will include a 200,000-square-foot building at an industrial park near Interstate 75. The project qualifies for financial assistance from several programs funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"When both Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie, A.G., announced plans to locate in our state, we said Tennessee would be looking to expand the solar industry throughout the value chain," said Matt Kisber, state commissioner of economic and community development. "The announcement today by Confluence Solar is proof that strategy is working and that Tennessee is now a major player in a growing industry."