GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The manufacturer of a new generation of rooftop solar panels is getting a $197 million federal loan guarantee to expand a plant being built in Oregon.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the renewable energy loan guarantee for SoloPower, a Silicon Valley startup making thin-film solar panels, in a teleconference call Thursday
Sen. Jeff Merkley says the plant in Wilsonville is bringing 1,000 construction jobs and 500 manufacturing jobs to Oregon.
SoloPower CEO Tim Harris says they are not likely to walk away from the plant after just a few years, the way another solar panel maker did in Massachusetts.
Harris says terms of the loan require sticking around 10 years, and their investment in training and equipment makes it better to stay than move.
