ANN ARBOR — Suniva Inc., the Georgia-based manufacturer of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, announced Tuesday that its first installation in Michigan with Madison Heights-based McNaughton-McKay Electric is live and powering the Washtenaw Food Hub in Ann Arbor.
The Suniva Optimus-powered solar system, owned by the Washtenaw Food Hub and installed by Homeland Solar, is interconnected to DTE Energy. The power generated from the ground mount and rooftop array will serve the multi-purpose facility’s energy requirements, primarily refrigeration and a commercial kitchen, and is projected to produce 50 megawatts a year.
“It’s especially rewarding to see this Suniva-powered solar project in Michigan, home to our recent manufacturing expansion,” said Matt Card, vice president of global sales and marketing of Suniva. “McNaughton-McKay is a highly valued partner for us in the region and has an important role in the future of powering Michigan with clean energy. Our partnerships with superior service providers, such as McNaughton-McKay and installers such as Homeland Solar, ensure that consumers get the highest quality solutions possible.”
Suniva began construction last year on a solar panel manufacturing plant in Saginaw. The 129,000-square-foot plant is a former Sears warehouse. It has so far hired about 100 people to work in the plant. The company is hiring at http://suniva.com/careers.php. Open positions include engineering technicians, maintenance technicians, a plant manager, process engineers and shift supervisors.
“It’s been gratifying to see this project unfold using Michigan-made materials,” said Mark Ferda of McNaughton-McKay. “Once we learned about the Food Hub’s commitment to Michigan materials, we knew Suniva panels would be the perfect fit due to their new manufacturing plant” in Saginaw.
The Food Hub took advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program and qualified for a 25 percent grant toward project costs.
More on Suniva and its products at www.suniva.com.