Evergreen Solar Inc., manufacturer of String Ribbon solar power products with silicon wafer technology, has shipped 8.5 MW of products from its Devens, Mass., factory and an additional 3.7 MW from its Marlboro, Mass., pilot manufacturing facility, during the fourth quarter of 2008.
The company adds that it received its certificate of occupancy for the second phase of the Devens facility on Dec. 19, 2008, and expects to reach full capacity of about 40 MW per quarter from Devens in the second half of 2009 as planned.
‘Because our Devens ramp remains on schedule, we ceased production at our Marlboro pilot manufacturing facility on Dec. 31,’ notes Richard M. Feldt, chairman, president and CEO of Evergreen Solar. ‘Ongoing R&D activities will continue to be performed at our research and development facility in Marlboro and advanced manufacturing piloting activities will be performed at our Devens manufacturing facility with little or no impact to overall production capacity.’
Almost all of the Marlboro pilot facility employees have transferred to Devens to fill open roles associated with the second phase of Devens. The company expects to incur approximately $350,000 in severance costs through March 31, 2009, for the individuals not transferred to Devens. The company will also incur non-cash charges of approximately $25 million associated with the write-off of manufacturing and development equipment and leasehold improvements of the Marlboro pilot facility.
SOURCE: Evergreen Solar
