Banking on a homegrown, high-tech solar cell system, Ohio's
GreenField Solar Corp. is positioned for a fast-paced growth that kicked off this month with the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Oberlin.
GreenField, founded in 2008, is the convergence of two earlier companies: PhotoVolt and Greenfield Steam and Electric.
"We develop and manufacture the solar cells and the PV systems," said Mico Perales, GreenField Solar's director of business development.
The company also has facilities in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and at the
NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The Oberlin location will serve as corporate HQ and the primary fabrication center.
Founder Bernie Sater, a former NASA Glenn Researcher Center scientist, invented the solar cell technology behind the company's StarGen Concentrated PV system. This heavy-duty, innovative system captures the sun's rays to produce electricity and thermal energy for high use customers including utilities and other large, commercial companies.
Among the company's clients are
Duke Energy,
American Electric Power, and the City of Lanier.
GreenField Solar aims to drive down the cost of its product and installation to make its technology affordable without using subsidies.
"In addition, the company seeks to leverage the experience and expertise of the state's
Edison Centers," Perales said.
The company has 20 employees, but is planning big gains through increased commercialization of its product over the next five years.
"With the opening of our Oberlin facility, which includes laboratory and clean-room environments, we are taking a significant step towards hiring over 200 additional employees over the next five years within Ohio," said Jim Latham, GreenField Solar Director of Operations.
Those jobs will be in solar cell and system production, engineering, finance, sales and marketing.
Source: Mico Perales and Jim Latham, GreenField SolarWriter: Feoshia Henderson