Illinois Governor Quinn Signs Solar Ramp-Up Law and Announces Largest Solar Development in U.S.A.

[jpak]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illinois-governor-quinn-signs-solar-ramp-up-law-and-announces-largest-solar-development-in-usa-101098359.html

Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn arrived at Wanxiang America Corporation's newly built solar panel manufacturing plant in Rockford, Illinois today to announce an over $4 million stimulus grant award for an up to 62 Megawatt (MW) Rockford Solar Project, the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar development in the Midwest and one of the largest in the United States, and to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Wanxiang America Corporation's solar panel manufacturing plant.

"The state's investment will help ensure Illinois remains a leader in renewable energy development, while continuing to build on the state's energy independence goals," said Governor Quinn. "With partnerships with companies like Wanxiang and New Generation Power, we're creating hundreds of sustainable, green-collar jobs and providing an economic boost to the entire state."

Earlier in the day, Governor Quinn was in Chicago to sign House Bill 6202 into law, which establishes interim solar targets to help Illinois successfully scale up to reach the state's solar renewable portfolio standard of 6% by 2015. The new law marks a landmark achievement for solar energy in Illinois and will create over 5,000 solar panel installation, manufacturing, and maintenance jobs and significantly reduce Illinois' carbon footprint.

The up to 62 MW Rockford Solar Project will generate enough electricity to power over 10,000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions at a rate of 113,000 tons annually, equivalent to the emissions from nearly 20,000 cars. The Project will significantly help electricity suppliers achieve the required 0.5% solar target by 2012.

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[xchrom]

1. Well somebody's getting it. Nt

[HillbillyBob]

2. A Chinese owned company at that

wtf????!!! what about US based solar companies? i guess thats just another big FU to the citizens.

The jobs are nice I suppose if you want a low paying job.
The profits go overseas to their government..this is not fucking change I can believe in I will buy solar panels eventually, but not from this place.

[Old and In the Way]

3. That gets me to thinking.....

these solar cells use the same type of technology used to make chips for the electronics industry. Had we followed Carter's vision in the mid-70's, we might have kept that industry here as well. The factories that make furnaces that grow silicon ingots which are sliced to make the wafers would have had a huge cost advantage and incentive to stay with increased US demand for solar cells. Instead, that industry went to Taiwan, now on to China. So we really don't have much choice now but to buy them from China. Unless we want to put tarriffs up to stop the imports - but that could end up hurting the solar panel manufacturer's in their efforts to make solar competitive with other energy sources. We can thank Bush/Reagan for blunder....and the American people for believing Reagan "Morning in America' nonsense that basically kept us energy dependent on ME oil.