NEW SOLAR FACILITY IN PORTLAND, OREGON GETS PRAISE FROM GOVERNOR

Solaicx - a maker of monocrystalline silicon ingots for photovoltaic applications - announced in mid-June that it plans a new facility in Portland, Oregon. It follows a successful financing round by the D.E. Shaw Group. "I am pleased that Solaicx will be locating in Oregon, creating good paying jobs

The plant, which will have an initial run-rate of 48 megawatts, will create roughly 100 new jobs by the end of 2007. In 2008, Solaicx plans to expand the plant's capacity from its initial 12 silicon ingot growers to a total of 36 growers. At full capacity, the facility will produce 142 megawatts of solar ingots and wafers per year.

"We looked at the state of Oregon's generous financial incentives for renewable energy and Portland's deep base of skilled labor in silicon manufacturing, and decided that the port is an ideal place for our continued growth as a company," said Jeff Jones, vice president of Manufacturing for Solaicx. "This welcoming atmosphere will allow us to meet our goals and rapidly ramp-up to full production by the end of 2008."