A Perrysburg solar panel manufacturer has received $10 million from the state’s share of federal stimulus
money.
The award, announced today by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio Air Quality Development Authority
Executive Director Mark Shanahan, to Willard & Kelsey Solar Group LLC is one of the first two
awards from the $150 million advanced energy portion of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan.
A clean coal power plant to be built along the Ohio River in Meigs County by AMP-Ohio received a $30
million bridge loan.
Shanahan, the governor’s energy adviser, was quoted as saying in a state press release that the two
projects are "cutting-edge" efforts "that are on a fast track toward
commercialization." The stimulus funds should attract additional investment and create new jobs, he
continued.
Willard & Kelsey manufactures thin-cell photovoltaic solar panels in the former Delafoil plant on
Ohio 25, south of Perrysburg. The panels, used in residential and commercial settings to generate
electricity, are distributed globally. The company plans to expand from one line to as many as 16 lines,
employing more than 3,500 workers. The average annual wage and benefit package for company employees
will be approximately $61,000. Total project cost is $1.2 billion.
Willard & Kelsey was formed in 2007 as an outgrowth of Glasstech Solar, which pioneered the
development of large area, thin-film cadmium telluride solar modules. Its first manufacturing line began
operations in February, and the planned expansion will commence in June 2010 to take advantage of the
growing global market for solar panels for use in electricity generation.
William Mitchell, president and CEO of Willard & Kelsey, is quoted in the press release as saying
the solar industry "evolves naturally" from "the area’s traditional strength as a global
leader in the glass industry."