Ontario-based solar panel manufacturer Heliene Inc. is set to begin production at its new St. Paul, Minn., facility.
Heliene and U.S. partner SimpleRay LLC will produce standard form-factor medium to high-efficiency 60- and 72-cell modules ranging in output from 250 W polycrystalline panels to 335 W monocrystalline panels. Final assembly and testing will take place at the St. Paul facility.
SimpleRay and Heliene plan to initially add 12 to 20 employees to their assembly plant and corporate offices to accommodate the expanded operations, which will qualify for the ‘Made in Minnesota’ incentive program.
Blue Horizon Energy, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., was selected to be a test site for Heliene's initial product introduction to the Made in Minnesota market.
‘We are delighted to be part of the Made in Minnesota program, and expand our operations into the Minnesota market,’ says Martin Pochtaruk, president of Heliene. ‘We see this as a great opportunity to move into both Minnesota as well as the U.S. market in a big way.’