China-based Linuo Solar Group Co., a manufacturer and distributor of solar products, has entered into an agreement to site a large factory in East Fishkill, N.Y., on the site of a former IBM chip plant.
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that the factory will be ramped up in several stages: The company will first set up an office and warehouse to distribute PV modules to fulfill existing contracts. The second phase calls for establishing a PV panel factory and a facility for manufacturing glass tubes used in solar thermal collectors. Finally, the company will begin fabricating PV cells.
In all, Linuo plans to invest $100 million in the project. Local and regional tax incentives were central to the company’s decision, the Poughkeepsie Journal notes. The state of New York has provided $6 million (contingent on job creation and retention), Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. has offered investment- and job-creation-based incentives, and Dutchess Community College and local development agencies are offering training rebates.
Linuo has purchased the entire 157-acre factory site, which was long unoccupied. It is estimated to include about 1 million square feet of built space.
