GE puts hold on new solar jobs
Jul 7 - Larry Rulison Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
General Electric Co. says it won't be adding scores of new
renewable energy jobs locally as previously expected after it
put on hold plans for a $300 million solar panel factory in
Colorado.
New York state had aggressively vied for the Colorado plant,
which GE awarded to Aurora, Colo., last October.
The consolation prize was 100 jobs at the company's renewable
energy headquarters in Schenectady and its Global Research
Center in Niskayuna that would support the Colorado project.
But a collapse in domestic solar panel prices, brought on by
a glut of supply, led GE to put the Colorado project on hold for
at least 18 months as it further develops its solar technology
to compete in the new landscape.
Domestic solar manufacturers have been crying foul for months
that Chinese companies have been illegally flooding the U.S.
market with artificially low-priced solar panels in an attempt
to kill competition and grab market share. The practice is
called dumping.
GE, which is a major business presence in the Far East, does
not blame the Chinese for the collapse of the market but rather
cites overcapacity and declining government incentives.
"It's an environment that requires players to be agile and
smart," said Chris Horne, a spokeswoman with GE in Schenectady,
which is also home to a steam turbine plant and GE's new battery
factory. "This technology will reach a far higher efficiency
level and more competitive cost position and will require
modifications to the plant design currently under way."
GE is conducting more than 600 experiments a week in its
research labs, including in Niskayuna, as it seeks to increase
the efficiency -- or effectiveness -- of its solar panels, Horne
said. The company "fully intends" to make the local hires first
announced last year.
"This will happen as we ramp up technology and start the
build-out of the factory again," Horne said.
Solar panel manufacturing has plummeted in the U.S., dropping
from 335 megawatts produced in the first quarter of 2011 to 160
megawatts during the first quarter of this year, according to
the Solar Energy Industries Association. SEIA, a trade group,
blames increased global competition and trade disputes. The U.S.
government has responded by putting tariffs on Chinese solar
imports, but the results won't be felt until next year, the
organization believes.
The fierce competition is one of the reasons why the
Department of Energy awarded the University at Albany College of
Nanoscale Science and Engineering more than $60 million to
create a solar manufacturing consortium. Alain Kaloyeros, CEO of
the NanoCollege and chair of the new program, known as the U.S.
Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative, said it will require five
years of intense research and development to get the technology
where it needs to be.
And there has to be continued partnering between the industry
and the government to create "venues," including incentives and
policies that make solar financially competitive with
traditional power sources until it can stand on its own.
One example is the Cuomo administration's NY-Sun initiative
that doubles state incentives for solar installations to $432
million over the next four years.
"It allows companies to continue to develop the technology
until there is a fully competitive environment," Kaloyeros said.
lrulison@timesunion.com --518-454-5504 --@larryrulison