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Dutchess County To Get 161 Green Jobs
The sun may soon bring something new to the Empire State. According to a press release issued Tuesday by Governor David Patterson’s office, New York is about to get its first solar cell factory.
SpectraWatt, a spin-off of Intel Corporation and relative newcomer to the solar scene, will set up shop in Hudson Valley Research Park and expects to be ready for production by early 2010. Their upstate factory will process and manufacture the silicon-derived “cells” which other firms will turn into those familiar icons of renewable energy – the typical solar panel that is making its appearance on more and more buildings and homes throughout the country.
SpectraWatt anticipates an initial production capacity of 60 MW in its first year, bringing 100 new jobs to New York. By 2012, the facility is expected to operate at a full capacity of 120 MW and 161 employees. The state will supply $3 million of the $81 million projected cost through the Empire State Development Corp. and an additional $1.5 million through NYSERDA. In addition, for relocating to the Poughkeepsie-Dutchess Empire Zone, the company will receive a significant tax break, as well as 200 metric tons of solar grade silicon (the raw material for most photovoltaics) per year from Globe Specialty Metals, another company that recently announced its intentions to move to the area. In exchange, Globe will receive 40 MW of hydropower from the state.
Established in the summer of 2008, less than a year later, SpectraWatt is poised to become a green job pioneer in New York. Given recent trends, it is unlikely to be the last.
Sources: “SpectraWatt Sets Up Headquarters in New York”, press release – April 7 2009, www.spectrawatt.com; “SpectraWatt to Tap Local High-Tech Pool”, Pougkeepsie Journal, April 8, 2009; “Governor Paterson Announces New Solar Cell Manufacturer to Move to Dutchess County”, press release – April 7, 2009, www.ny.gov/governor; Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation website, www.thinkdutchess.com.
