Nanostructure-based CIGS (copper indium gallium sulphur-diselenide) thin-film solar module maker Stion Corp of San Jose, CA, USA and Silicon Ranch are celebrating the completion of Mississippi's largest commercial solar facility to date, sourced with modules made in Mississippi. The 3.9MW facility, which uses Stion's solar panels manufactured in Hattiesburg, MS, is located in Chickasaw County. Construction of the solar farm created about 75 jobs, with over half hired from the local labor pool.
Owned and operated by Silicon Ranch, the facility will provide enough electricity to help power more than 400 homes and businesses. Chickasaw County has the third-largest manufacturing capacity in the state of Mississippi, and such savings should help to keep local businesses competitive and help drive economic development in the region, it is reckoned.
Over the lifetime of Silicon Ranch's investment, the project will generate tax revenue from property taxes and generation for local governments. In addition, Silicon Ranch will provide funds to Mississippi State University and Houston High School to train students in engineering, manufacturing, installation, and operation of solar sites in Mississippi. "Houston, Mississippi has long been a solar-centered city with the great work at Houston High School," states commissioner Brandon Presley, who leads The Public Service Commission of the Northern District of Mississippi. The Houston Solar Car Team has won 14 of the last 15 challenges, beating all other high-school teams from across the USA at the annual event held in Austin, TX.
The panels use CIGS-technology, which are said to outperform other types of solar panels, particularly in hot climates due to an industry-leading temperature coefficient. The panel's design also has a unique cell structure that limits production losses due to shade, Stion adds.
By the end of 2016, Stion's factory will be able to produce 150MW of solar modules annually. The factory currently employs 110 people in Hattiesburg.
