26 September 2011
Linuo Solar Group Co., a Chinese solar manufacturer, announced that is has purchased a former IBM chip manufacturing facility near Poughkeepsie, New York.
Bevan Zhang, Director of International Development made the company’s first public appearance at the Marist College Boathouse. The facility sold for $4.5 million, and Linuo plans to invest $100 million.
The company was lured to New York State through a trio of incentives. New York state tax credits worth about $6 million were offered as an incentive, based on job creation and retention for specified period of years. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. also offered incentives based on investment and jobs, said to be up to $300,000. A third incentive will offer training rebates of up to $100,000 from Dutchess Community College and local agencies.
Vincent Cozzolino, co-CEO of The Solar Energy Consortium, a New York based group that was instrumental in bringing the Chinese manufacturer to the state, said that Linuo will establish an office and warehouse to handle imported solar panels to fulfil contracts it has in the US. The next step will be to begin manufacturing PV panels, then solar thermal products, and finally silicon cells.
Linuo intends to create 150 jobs in 2012 and up to 1000 when manufacturing to full capacity.
