Project Expected to Generate Thousands of Michigan Jobs through 2014
Wixom, MI, September 10, 2009, - A group of renewable energy companies has
joined forces with Ford and the State of Michigan on a bold plan to convert the
320-acre Wixom Ford Motor Co. assembly plant outside Detroit into a
renewable energy manufacturing park. This historic Wixom facility will be
refurbished and upgraded with new manufacturing lines for solar panels and
advanced energy storage. In case the now announced plans will be executed,
Oerlikon Solar USA Inc. has been selected by Clairvoyant Energy of Santa
Barbara, Calif., as its preferred equipment partner for the thin film solar panel
manufacturing line.
Oerlikon Solar leads the thin film solar equipment sector with 10 factories in production
around the world and the fastest time to market. The company's Micromorph®
technology delivers the highest performing thin film silicon solar products in the world.
Thin film silicon solar technology offers cost and performance advantages over
traditional crystalline silicon and each year is gaining a greater share of the global solar
panel market. Micromorph® technology is quite versatile and well-suited for large-scale
projects such as "solar farms" and industrial installations as well as for smaller rooftop
applications.
"Oerlikon Solar is considered for this project because of our leading Micromorph®
technology and our clear track record for bringing new thin film solar factories to the
market, on time and on budget all over the world," said Jeannine Sargent, chief
executive officer of Oerlikon Solar. "With a strong local workforce and the support of
Wixom and the state we are confident that in partnership with Clairvoyant Energy, we
can help Michigan leverage its extensive manufacturing infrastructure for clean
renewable energy."
Clairvoyant Energy plans to hire 300 employees for their production facility, which will
use Oerlikon Solar equipment, starting in late 2011 and add another 700 later depending
on demand. If the project is approved, Oerlikon Solar USA will establish a regional sales
and support center at the Wixom site.
"Oerlikon Solar has the experience and capability we needed from a technology
partner for this highly visible and ambitious project," said David Hardee, chief executive
officer of Clairvoyant Energy. "Oerlikon Solar will provide us with a technology strategy
to remain at the cutting edge at relatively low risk with the goal of producing a high
efficiency solar panel at the lowest cost in the market."
Oerlikon Solar is the first thin film silicon technology provider to have IEC/TUV Rheinland
certification for its entire family of thin film silicon solar technologies, including both
Amorphous and Micromorph® . The certification ensures that modules produced by
Oerlikon Solar customers are manufactured to the highest quality standards and can
endure the most challenging real world environmental conditions. With more challenging
credit markets, certification also makes Oerlikon Solar projects more predictable and
bankable.
