PATASKALA, OH – June 4, 2024 - Illuminate USA, a leading US solar panel manufacturer, has shipped its very first panels to a new solar energy center under construction in Hardin County, Ohio. Invenergy’s Hardin Solar III Energy Center will provide up to 250 megawatts of clean electricity - enough to power 48,000 Ohio homes - upon expected completion later this year.
“Illuminate USA started producing solar panels at scale within a year of its launch, and now more than 700 Ohioans are showing the solar industry that the US is ramping up to meet our nation's demand for clean energy,” said Illuminate USA CEO Frank Zhu. “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. 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.”
“I am thrilled that Illuminate USA’s very first panels are being installed at an Invenergy solar project up the road in Hardin County,” said Jim Murphy, President and Corporate Business Leader at Invenergy and Chairman of the Board at Illuminate USA. “This is an important milestone for Illuminate USA and the entire US 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 US.”
Illuminate USA has already produced more than 200,000 utility-scale panels since starting production earlier this year and has begun filling manufacturing orders for other clients in its growing customer base. Today, the American company includes a team of more than 700 “Illuminators” at its 1.1 million square foot advanced manufacturing facility in Licking County. Once reaching full capacity later this year, more than 1,000 Ohioans will be on site and more than 9.2 million high-quality solar panels will be produced annually. This equals 5 gigawatts of electricity production, enough to power 1 million American homes.
“As a lifelong Ohio resident and one of the first associates at Illuminate USA, it’s rewarding to see the panels we’ve worked hard to produce be used for a project in my home state,” said Robin Heater, PQC Quality Manager at Illuminate USA. “I’m excited about how our work is helping to pave the way for a domestic solar manufacturing supply chain in the United States, particularly as the demand for clean energy continues to rise.”
About Illuminate USA:
Illuminate USA is an American leader in advanced solar panel manufacturing based in Pataskala, Ohio. Illuminate USA’s majority owner and anchor customer is Invenergy, an American privately held developer, owner and operator of sustainable energy solutions. Illuminate USA’s manufacturing technology partner is industry leader LONGi, the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer. For more information about Illuminate USA, visit www.illuminateusa.com.
About Invenergy LLC:
Invenergy is accelerating cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, build, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Headquartered in Chicago, Invenergy has regional offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Poland, and Scotland.
Invenergy and its affiliated companies have successfully developed more than 32,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure and natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects. Learn more about Invenergy at Invenergy.com. ###
Contact Invenergy:
media@invenergy.com