REC may supply project

CLE ELUM, Wash. — A division of the REC Group could be a solar panel supplier for a planned 75-megawatt Cle Elum, Wash., solar park called the Teanaway Solar Reserve.

REC Solar was mentioned as a possible supplier during a recent announcement about the project by Howard Trott, managing director of new solar projects for Teanaway Solar Reserve.

During the media call, Trott said REC Solar would be considered as well as other suppliers in the state.

The project will transform sunlight into electricity, which would then be used as renewable energy and is expected to be completed in fall 2011.

Moses Lake-based REC Silicon senior vice president Tor Hartmann said a possible connection to REC Silicon is that the company is the user of the same type of material the company produces in Moses Lake, Hartmann said.

“There’s a possibility that they will use the material we produce in Moses  Lake, but we can’t be totally sure about it,” he added.

The REC Group manufactures solar panels through one of its sister divisions, REC Solar, which is located primarily in Europe.

Also, the REC Group is building a newer, larger solar panel facility in Singapore, he said.

“In a general sense, we’re excited to see the solar industry expanded in the state,” he said. “I think it’s a positive move for all of us. We support this type of growth.”

He also spoke about the project reducing the carbon dioxide footprint in the state.

Ron Cridlebaugh, executive director of the Economic Development Group of Kittitas County, said upon completion, the project would be one of the largest solar projects in the country.

The project will create at least 200 jobs in Kittitas County and opens up the potential for jobs for people living in Quincy and George, he explained.

“They will need a workforce that could reach beyond our county,” Cridlebaugh commented. “It will create a lot of jobs.”

Possible jobs include positions in manufacturing and maintenance, he said.

He described the 400-acre site as clear cut forest land, logged years ago. The land is leased from American Forest Land Company, he said.

“Their plan is to go in and install the brackets that hold the solar panels,” Cridlebaugh said.

Between new innovations and efficiencies, they’re hoping to lower the price of solar panels to where they’re more efficient for residential use,” he said.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., spoke of a clean energy bill she worked to pass last year.

“…Thanks in part to that legislation, we’re seeing this project get off the ground. Washington state is leading the way to transitioning our world to a clean energy economy, and I am so proud that our state will be home to one of the largest solar generating facilities in the nation,” she stated.

“This groundbreaking project will create construction and manufacturing jobs, bring hundreds of millions of investment dollars into Central Washington, and generate fuel and emissions-free electricity for our citizens,” according to Cantwell.

“This project exemplifies what many of us have dreamed of,” stated Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum. “It presents Kittitas County with an opportunity to bring in family-wage jobs, diversify our energy portfolio and get in on the front end of renewable solar energy.”

“This is clearly a future trend and I feel blessed that, of all the places this project could have been located, it’s coming to us,” he stated.

For more information, visit www.teanawaysolarreserve.com