As a means to propagate clean energy, the United States Department of Energy recently made investments for the installation of a solar plant in Oregon and to promote the growth of automotive engineering education.
Through its Loan Programs Office, the Energy Department gave a $197-million conditional loan guarantee to SoloPower, a San Jose, California-based manufacturer of flexible thin-film solar cells.
A loan guarantee is not a direct loan, but an agreement that the federal government will cover the borrower’s debt obligation to its lenders in the event of a default.
SoloPower is upgrading its building to have the capability of producing thin-film photovoltaic modules in the second quarter of the year.
The building, which is currently a Nike, Inc. distribution warehouse, is going to be converted into a solar module manufacturing plant which is expected to produce 400 megawatts’ worth of solar products yearly.
It will be the first large-scale high volume solar manufacturing plant in Wilsonville, Oregon. Total cost is estimated to reach about $340 million.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu underscored the importance of developing sustainable energies in the country.
“Investments like these are going to help America become a world leader again in clean energy manufacturing,” he said.
Tim Harris, SoloPower chief executive, said the project is a step toward the ultimate goal of greening the country through the use of alternative forms of energy sourced from renewable materials, at the same time boosting the economy through job creation.
«This backing allows us to rapidly ramp up our production and promote the spread of clean, distributed solar power to the rooftops and on the ground, while providing hundreds of quality manufacturing jobs using some of the most advanced technology in the world,” he said.
The Energy Department said full-speed construction late this year is expected to generate about 500 jobs.
The Energy Department also gave $5 million to Graduate Automotive Technology Education centers that train aspiring automotive designers and engineers.
The move is in line with the Obama administration’s goal of increasing American economic competitiveness by focusing on science, technology, engineering and math education, collectively called STEM, and of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
The latter will reportedly reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil and lead to a reduction in oil consumption of about 750 million barrels by 2030.
Among the areas automotive education would include are advanced combustion engines, lightweight materials, advanced energy storage and advanced hybrid propulsion and control systems.
