Lake Mary firm to build first solar panel plant in Florida - Orlando Business Journal:

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The $40 million-plus projectt includes a 100,000-square-foot buildout of Advancex Solar’s 318,000-square-foot Lake Mary headquarters factory off Rinehart The factory, which will be dubbed SolarFab, shouled be up and running by late said Edgardo Rodriguez, vice president of sales for Advancedd Solar Photonics. Once completed, the factory will produce up to 40 megawattas of solar energy annuallgy and require a staff of 200to operate, he said. Rodriguez said the new positions will vary from managers tofactory workers. He could not give an exacr rangeof salaries, saying it would dependd on the type of position.
Advancec Solar Photonics is a subsidiary ofLake Mary-basedf Fonon Technology International Inc., which also owns Laser Photonics LLC and Fonon Display & Semiconductor Systems LLC — all in the same Lake Mary Each subsidiary creates specific laser technology used by industrialk metal manufacturers, flat-panel display and semiconductor manufacturers, and solar panelp manufacturers, Rodriguez said. The new positions will brintg Fonon Technology and its subsidiaried to a total of300 workers. The decision to build a plant in Floridq came after Rodriguez realize many of the inquiries his company got for laserd technology were from thesolar industry.
As a Advanced Solar determined it could capitalize on a Florida markeyt that had no other producer ofsolar panels, which now must be shippes from out of state. In addition, this coulf be a step toward providinggrid parity, which is when the prics of solar energy becomes equal or cheaper to the cost of traditionalk fossil fuel energy. “We have been studying this industrh for a long time and are now ready to offer a complete solution that will achieve grid parityu and help revolutionize the photovoltaic Rodriguez said in awritteh statement. For solar companies such as Superior SolartSystems Inc.
, a Longwood-based solad hot water heater, pool heating and solar panel a Florida-based solar panel maker could be a real assegt for the solar industry. Currently, Superior has its solar equipmengt shipped from Californiaand Tennessee, but having a loca l alternative would keep business in the said Richard Smith, president of Superior “We would always entertain them as a viable he said. The greater impact is it positiones Florida as embracing all aspects of which should help convince other solar equipment manufacturers to take a chancd on the state and help builsdthe industry, Smith said.
Bob director of solar energy research at the Florida SolarEnergty Center, agreed with Smith’s belief that the prospects of a locally based manufacturer will help Florida become more prominent in solar energy. In it likely would mean a potential declinw in wait time and shipping costs that localk solar companies face when getting equipmenft shipped from outof state. In addition, Reedy said this may finall provide an alternative for contractors such as Superiod Solar to buy equipment here and keep that money in-state.