Where Suntech led, Kyocera is now following. The company recently announced plans to begin manufacturing solar panels in California to serve the local U.S. market’s booming demand for modules.
The new solar panel plant will provide increased impetus towards Kyocera’s solar energy goal of its global production capacity targeting 1,000 megawatts of solar cells per year by March 2013. Kyocera says the one-gigawatt capacity will allow the company to supply 3.5-kilowatt solar electric systems for about 285,000 homes each year.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the announcement saying Kyocera’s decision to locate its solar manufacturing operations in San Diego will generate even more jobs at a time when they are needed most in the state.
The new solar plant will begin in San Diego at Kyocera’s Balboa Avenue facility during the first half of this year, with an initial production target of 30 megawatts per year.
“The U.S. is experiencing extraordinary growth in its adoption of solar electricity,” said Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar, Inc. “Kyocera’s San Diego plant will provide high-quality, high-efficiency solar modules to serve this expanding market. With a 35-year commitment to providing clean energy through solar modules, Kyocera is adding capacity globally to meet worldwide demand.”
Solar power has become one of the company’s most rapidly growing businesses globally, with Kyocera expecting to double its production of solar cells in the two fiscal years from 2009 to 2011. In addition to the new plant, Kyocera currently has solar module manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, the Czech Republic and Mexico.
