SoloPower, a San Jose, California-based manufacturer of flexible thin film solar cells and modules, announced that it is seeking engineers and technicians for its state-of-the-art high volume manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon, which will begin commercial production later this year. Upon completion, SoloPower’s Portland facilities are ultimately expected to have a capacity of 400MW and employ 450 people, strengthening SoloPower’s ability to provide powerful, flexible, lightweight solar modules for its growing global customer base.
“We’re excited about SoloPower’s ability to bring clean tech jobs to Oregon and promote smart job-growth in the private sector, which would not have been possible without the visionary support we’ve received from the State of Oregon, the Oregon Department of Energy and the City of Portland, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy,” said SoloPower CEO Tim Harris. “A big reason SoloPower chose to build our new manufacturing facility in Oregon was because of the highly skilled work force, and we look forward to drawing on that local talent as our facility comes online.”
“SoloPower will attend the Interstate Career Expo, the largest regional job and career event in the Portland metro area, on March 7, looking for equipment engineers, chemical engineers, production and process engineers and front-end and maintenance technicians,” added Thomas Barker, Director of Human Resources, SoloPower. “We’re proud to help Oregon continue on the path towards establishing a broad clean technology manufacturing base and a stronger state economy.”
SoloPower uses innovative manufacturing technology to produce low-cost, high efficiency copper, indium, gallium and (di)selenide (“CIGS”) based photovoltaic cells. The CIGS cells are then packaged into unique, flexible, lightweight solar modules. The modules require less balance-of-system hardware and are easier to install than traditional solar panels.