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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Michigan Will Be Home to New Dow Solar Plant

03/09/2010
Dow Chemical will build its first full-scale production facility for its Powerhouse Solar Shingle in Midland, Michigan and the project will create more than 1,200 jobs in the next four years.

"Dow welcomes the opportunity to work with the City of Midland, the State of Michigan and Governor Granholm to secure support for renewable energy technologies," said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow Chairman and CEO. "Collaboration between government and business is essential to overcoming the challenges facing our society today, including energy, climate change and the creation of sustainable jobs."

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is currently considering up to $140 million in economic incentives for the plant, which would produce the photovoltaic solar panels in the form of solar shingles that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials.

Local, state and federal funding will help Dow Solar Solutions to accelerate production plans for the solar shingles already being manufactured in a small-scale market development plant at Dow's Michigan Operations in Midland, according to a press statement.

The jobs created will be in the manufacturing, commercial and technical areas. According to an article by Renewable Energy World, the Dow plant is just one of four manufacturing plans to be built in four states.

China's Suntech Power will be building a manufacturing plant in Goodyear, Arizona. Heliosphera US plans a thin-film solar plant in Philadelphia's Navy Yard and SolarWorld is planning a new solar module assembly line at its manufacturing plant in Hillsboro, Oregon.

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