New Solar Plant Heading For New Mexico

In a recent press release, the Office of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced plans by Signet Solar, a Menlo Park, California based company, to construct a new solar manufacturing plant in Belen. The plant will bring as many as 600 new green jobs to the area, starting with 200 positions after phase one of construction. The plant is scheduled to be up and running in 2010.

Governor Richardson noted that, “At a time of economic uncertainty, this project will create hundreds of jobs and reaffirm New Mexico as a clean energy state and major player in our nation’s efforts to build a new clean energy economy.”

Belen, New Mexico is about 30 minutes south of Albuquerque on Rancho Cielo, a Coast Range Investments property. The plant will manufacture silicon-based thin-film PV modules. Rancho Cielo is a 6,000 acre planned industrial and residential community. Signet Solar, being the first to build on the site, also plans to construct a 700-acre solar farm that will provide most of the energy for the community.

This is big news for New Mexico and, if successful, could make the state very attractive to other clean-tech companies. One can’t help but point to New Mexico’s state-funded solar incentives and aggressive renewable portfolio standard which requires 20 percent of the state’s energy needs to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Posted on January 14th in Solar News by Dan.