SunPower partners with Flextronics

The SunPower and Flextronics partnership is expected to create approximately 100 new jobs this year, and produce 75 megawatts of SunPower solar panels annually. “I can think of no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to highlight action that is good for both California’s environment and its economy. SunPower is not only enabling homes and businesses to conserve energy and save money by going solar, they are also creating jobs at a time when they are needed most,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. Establishing a U.S. manufacturing facility is a direct result of SunPower’s three-year agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Program. Under the agreement, which was initiated in 2007, SunPower may receive up to $24 million of federal funding to implement improvements across the value chain that reduce solar system costs through improvements in the design and manufacture of integrated solar power systems. Funding from the DOE supports the research and development of both the solar panel manufacturing equipment ordered for this facility as well as commercial rooftop and tracking power plant systems which will incorporate the solar panels. Four of the equipment suppliers for SunPower’s solar panel manufacturing line manufacture their tools in the United States. The equipment set used in U.S. will also be exported to a solar panel manufacturing facility located in Europe. SunPower plans to apply a U.S. federal manufacturing tax credit awarded to it from federal stimulus dollars by the DOE to support its investment in the manufacturing equipment purchased for Silicon Valley. “We are proud to have been selected as SunPower’s manufacturing partner in California,” said E.C. Sykes, president of Flextronics Industrial. “Today’s announcement solidifies Flextronics’ leading position as the clean tech supply chain partner of choice for OEMs participating in this important and rapidly growing market sector.”