Enel North America, through its affiliate 3Sun USA, has unveiled plans to build an industrial-scale production facility in Inola, Oklahoma for the manufacturing of American-made photovoltaic (PV) modules.
The 2 million square foot factory represents a planned investment in excess of US$1bn, will create over 1000 full-time jobs, and is expected to reach 3GW annual capacity in 2025 with the possibility to scale up to 6GW.
It’s among the first facility in the US to produce high-performance bifacial PV modules and cells, which capture more sunlight because the cells can respond to light on both front and rear surfaces, Enel said.
To support energy workforce development, Enel is adding solar technician training to its training centre in Oklahoma City, which opened last year.
Enel currently has a large presence in Oklahoma with more than 2GW of renewable energy generating capacity, representing over US$3bn in total investments over the last decade.