Heliene, a Canadian solar panel manufacturer, is expanding its operations with a new $145 million factory in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.
The factory, funded by an investment from Orion Infrastructure Capital, will have an annual capacity of 1 GW of modules starting in 2024 and 1.5 GW of cells starting in 2025. This factory will help Minnesota reach its 2040 net zero goal by powering its operations through power purchase agreements with local community solar gardens and establishing permanent sustainable jobs that diversify and grow the surrounding communities.
Heliene currently employs 175 residents, and in total, the new factory and subsequent expansions will add another 590 permanent jobs for American and Canadian workers. Although Heliene prides itself on creating employment opportunities for the communities it serves, Heliene CEO Martin Pochtaruk said that the company also focuses on highly robotized and automated processes, which deliver long-term reliability that reduces the risk of manufacturing delays and improves delivery time standards.
Heliene serves the North American marketplace by providing its operations with domestically sourced materials whenever possible. The company also has a growing list of state-side clients, many of whom have been established clients for years. As more companies seek to sustainably electrify their operations and overcome supply-chain risks, they are turning to domestic suppliers such as Heliene for the procurement of their solar solutions.
