Solar panel company SolarCity unveiled plans for one of the largest solar panel factories to open in Buffalo, New York, forecasting almost 3,000 jobs for the factory alone.
As reported in The Buffalo News by David Robinson, "Buffalo’s transformation took on new meaning Tuesday when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that SolarCity’s planned factory in South Buffalo will bring not the 475 jobs first projected by the RiverBend project or even the 850 jobs later forecast, but 3,000 jobs – more even than the employment that parcel supported when it was occupied by Republic Steel."
The new factory, creating solar panels to generate upwards of 1,000 megawatts of electricity, is going to be the Western Hemisphere's largest solar panel factory. With 1,450 jobs towards manufacturing, and 1,400 jobs for support and services related to the factory, there will be an estimated 2,000 additional spin-off jobs for suppliers, installers, and other related fields. To put this in perspective, the former Republic Steel site employed about 2,500 people during its peak in the 1960's.
The factory is expected to open in early 2016, with full production occurring a year later. Buffalo sets a great example of repurposing a former industrial site as a factory for building clean technology and energy production.
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