Heleine Inc. has invested $18 million to acquire a 25,000 square foot factory to manufacture photovoltaic solar panels in Iron Range, Minnesota. A centerpiece of the newly refurbished plant is a robotic white arm, equipped with suction cups, that quickly assembles individual solar cells into a grid-like pattern on each module, before the solar panel quickly moves down the automated production line. The facility is expected to be fully operational in October, 2018 employing roughly 120 workers with a 5 million in payroll. The facility is one of the most efficient solar manufactures in the country, able to produce 1,300 panels a day. Read the full story from MPR News.
Submitted by: Eric Romich, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Energy Education