After starting production in February, the first solar panels from Pataskala’s Illuminate USA have been installed in western Ohio.
Illuminate USA, a leading U.S. solar panel manufacturer based in Pataskala, has shipped its first panels to a new solar energy center under construction in Hardin County, the company announced Tuesday.
Developed by Invenergy, Illuminate USA’s majority owner and anchor customer, the site will provide up to 250 megawatts of clean electricity — enough to power 48,000 Ohio homes — once it’s completed later this year, according to Illuminate USA.
As previously reported, Illuminate USA’s total investment in Licking County is expected to top $600 million with the cost of equipment, raw materials, staff training and salaries and everything else needed to start a new company.
The manufacturer has already produced more than 200,000 utility-scale solar panels since production began and has started filling orders for other clients in its growing customer base. So far, Illuminate USA has hired more than 700 employees at its 1.1 million-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility, 3600 Etna Parkway, Pataskala, according to the company.
Once reaching full capacity later this year, Illuminate USA will employ more than 1,000 Ohioans and produce more than 9.2 million solar panels annually. That equals 5 gigawatts of electricity production, enough to power 1 million American homes, according to Illuminate USA.
Illuminate USA announced its plans in March 2023 and is the first company within the 350-acre Red Chip Farms development as part of the Pataskala Corporate Park. The new company is a joint venture between renewable energy company Invenergy, a Chicago-based developer, and Chinese solar panel manufacturer LONGi.
Illuminate USA CEO Frank Zhu said in a news release that the manufacturer is showing the solar industry that U.S. is ready to the nation’s demand for clean energy.
“We’re very proud that the very first solar panels to be produced at our new Ohio facility are being installed right here in Ohio,” Zhu said. “Since our panels started rolling off our assembly lines in February, we’ve seen significant interest from energy companies looking to use our Ohio-made panels as well as from Ohioans interested in advanced manufacturing careers.”
Including the Hardin County site, there are about 50 solar projects either in operation, under construction or some other stage of development in the state. Additional projects are awaiting approval by the state.
Generation from renewable sources will likely grow in every region of the United States in 2024, according to the Energy Information Administration, which is forecasting a 43% increase in solar power this year. Renewable energy is expected to produce 24% of the nation’s electricity this year and 26% in 2025, The Advocate previously reported.
Jim Murphy, president and corporate business leader at Invenergy and chairman of Illuminate USA’s board, said in the news release that he was thrilled the manufacturer’s first solar panels were staying in Ohio.
“This is an important milestone for Illuminate USA and the entire U.S. clean energy industry, demonstrating real progress towards building a domestic solar supply chain as well as the deployment of clean energy, manufactured right here in the U.S.,” Murphy said.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Solar panels from Pataskala’s Illuminate USA installed in western Ohio
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