News

Confluence Solar announces $200 million Tennessee plant

Jan. 21, 2010 – Missouri-based Confluence Solar has chosen Clinton, Tennessee, as the site of a new $200 million manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facility.

The company will produce single-crystal silicon ingots for photovoltaic solar systems at the Clinton site. Confluence Solar’s HiCz™ brand products increase the efficiency of solar cells by 15 percent or more.

The project is expected to bring 250 full-time jobs with higher-than-average wages. The facility will be located on a 25-acre site in the Clinton I-75 Industrial Park. Initial plans call for a 200,000-square-foot building.

"The announcement by Confluence Solar is further proof that Tennessee is recognized as a leader in renewable energy and that a new economic engine is emerging in our state,” Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen said. The state has seen more than $2 billion in capital investment and 1,000 new jobs created in the solar industry in the past two years thanks to the arrival of Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie.

“Tennessee’s nationally recognized business climate and their focused solar strategy along with Clinton’s close proximity to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the new Solar Institute made Tennessee the perfect location for our facility,” said Tom Cadwell, CEO and co-founder of Confluence Solar.

The company was started in 2007 by silicon industry veterans with the purpose of providing solar cell manufacturers with premium-quality, low-cost, single-crystal silicon for high-efficiency cell design.

“Confluence Solar’s investment represents an important step in the solar value chain that is growing across the Tennessee Valley,” said John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of economic development. “TVA and local service providers, such as Clinton Utilities Board, are pleased to partner with state and community leaders to assist companies as they grow and thrive.”

Read more about the company at www.confluencesolar.com.