Massive solar manufacturing buildup underway in Buffalo

January 25, 2015 | By Doug Peeples

With a major solar plant on the way and the possibility of another, Buffalo, New York is emerging as a solar manufacturing powerhouse.

SolarCity Corporation is building what is said will be one of the largest solar panel manufacturing facilities in the world. Located in Buffalo's RiverBend complex, a clean energy hub, the plant is expected to employ 2,900 workers, according to the Buffalo News. In September of last year, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would contribute $750 million into the 1.2 million-square-foot solar panel plant. About $350 million was earmarked for construction with the remainder to be spent on equipment. The investment is an element of Cuomo's Buffalo Initiative.

As a return on its investment, SolarCity CEO Elon Musk committed his company to spend $5 billion on the project and create the new jobs. SolarCity acquired Silevo, a company that had proposed a smaller-scale project.

The new SolarCity plant is expected to be in operation in 2016. The solar company has often said it fully expects continued growth in demand for solar equipment and systems. The new plant will greatly help the company meet that demand. The number of solar panels to be produced will provide 1,000 megawatts of power. An option to produce up to 5,000 megawatts in the future is a possibility.

Buffalo also may see an additional large-scale solar plant if Japanese manufacturer Solar Frontier chooses to locate new facilities there. The state also would invest in that project if the company chooses Buffalo as its preferred site.

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