Lake Mary firm to build first solar panel plant in Florida - Orlando Business Journal:

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The $40 million-plus project includes a 100,000-square-foot buildouty of Advanced Solar’s 318,000-square-foot Lake Mary headquarters factory offRinehartr Road. The factory, which will be dubbesd SolarFab, should be up and running by late 2009, said Edgardo vice president of sales for AdvancedSolar Photonics. Once completed, the factorhy will produce up to 40 megawatt s of solar energy annually and require a staff of 200 to he said. Rodriguez said the new position s will vary from managers to factory He could not give an exacg rangeof salaries, saying it woul d depend on the type of position.
Advanced Solae Photonics is a subsidiary ofLake Mary-basexd Fonon Technology International Inc., whicgh also owns Laser Photonics LLC and Fonobn Display & Semiconductor Systemds LLC — all in the same Lake Mary Each subsidiary creates specific laser technology used by industriakl metal manufacturers, flat-panel display and semiconductor and solar panel manufacturers, Rodriguez The new positions will bring Fonon Technologu and its subsidiaries to a total of 300 workers.
The decisiomn to build a plant in Florida came aftef Rodriguez realized many of the inquiries his company got for laseer technology were from the solar Asa result, Advanced Solar determined it could capitalize on a Florida markey that had no other producer of solar panels, which now must be shippede from out of state. In addition, this coulds be a step toward providinggrid parity, whicnh is when the pricde of solar energy becomes equalp or cheaper to the cost of traditional fossil fuel energy.
“Wed have been studying this industry for a long time and are now readh to offer a complete solutiojn that will achieve grid parity and help revolutionize thephotovoltaic market,” Rodriguez said in a written For solar companies such as Superior Sola r Systems Inc., a Longwood-based solar hot waterf heater, pool heating and solar panelk contractor, a Florida-based solar panel maked could be a real asset for the solar Currently, Superior has its solar equipmengt shipped from California and Tennessee, but having a locall alternative would keep business in the state, said Richard Smith, president of Superior Solar.
“Wes would always entertain them as aviabl choice,” he said. The greater impact is it positions Florida as embracinhg all aspects of which should help convince othetr solar equipment manufacturers to take a chance on the statre and help build the Smith said. Bob Reedy, director of solar energyh research at the Florida SolarEnergy Center, agreed with Smith’ss belief that the prospects of a locally based manufacture will help Florida becomw more prominent in solar energy. In it likely would mean a potential declinw in wait time and shipping costxs that local solar companies face when getting equipmenty shipped from outof state.
In addition, Reedy said this may finallyg provide an alternative for contractors such as Superior Solar to buy equipmentf here and keep thatmonehy in-state.