Windsor area to get $12M solar plant
by CanadianManufacturing.com Staff
United Solar’s new facility will create 80 new jobs
WINDSOR—United Solar is opening a $12-million manufacturing facility in the Windsor, Ont. region of LaSalle.
United Solar has operations in Michigan, Mexico and a joint venture manufacturing operation in Tianjin, China.
LaSalle is next in line. The company is building a 7,000-square meter facility that’s expected to be operational by August this year.
The plant will manufacture thin-film solar laminates specifically for sale in the Ontario market.
United Solar will lease the plant for 10 years and expects to hire up to 80 people.
The company will upgrade the existing building and deploy capital equipment with total first year project capital anticipated to be approximately US$4 million.
At first, the facility will have an annualized capacity of 15 megawatts—equivalent to powering 4,000 homes. Eventually, United Solar could ramp that up to 30 megawatts.
The new plant is just one of several new investments in the Windsor region, including a 10-kilowatt solar project that will provide specialized training in the growing clean energy sector.
The centre will be operated by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 773.
According to the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, more than 1,000 new local jobs have been announced in the renewable energy sector over the past 15 months.
