SolarWorld, a Germany-based manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and modules, will expand its factory in Hillsboro, Oregon, five months after opening the facility. The company says it will construct a new 210,000-square-foot building adjacent to the existing factory, increasing the facility's production capacity by 44 percent. The new space will be dedicated to logistics, distribution, and production. "We are fully committed to not only marketing the proven renewable energy of photovoltaic technology in the United States, but also manufacturing it here," says Boris Klebensberger, president of SolarWorld Industries America. "This project further demonstrates our resolve." The company says it plans to complete the construction by November, with a long-term goal of building 500 megawatts of production capacity and employing more than 1,000 workers at the site by 2011. SolarWorld did not release information regarding a specific investment amount or financial incentives.
