Suniva is "An American Success Story," Says Department of Energy Secretary Steven ChuThe White House Blog Highlights Suniva for Driving Job Creation and Increasing U.S. Competitiveness
NORCROSS, GA – May 12, 2010 – Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently heralded Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, as “an American success story.” The comments came in an entry on The White House Blog by Secretary Chu recounting his visit to the Georgia Institute of Technology, the genesis of Suniva’s industry-leading technology.
Suniva evolved from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) and the research of its founding director, Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, Suniva’s founder and CTO. Secretary Chu visited UCEP on May 7 and after touring the facility and meeting with Suniva executives, he commented in his blog post, “This center and this company are powerful examples of how clean energy technology can drive job creation in the U.S. and increase our competitiveness.”
Suniva has exemplified the economic growth ideals put forth by the Obama administration by exporting production while creating U.S. jobs. Last year, Suniva exported more than 90 percent of its product to Asia and Europe. The company won the 2010 Renewable Energy Exporter of the Year from the Export- Import Bank of the Unites States and introduced President Obama before his major policy speech on exports and U.S. job creation.
“The U.S. needs to jump back into the clean energy race and play to win. That is the work we have started with investments like the Recovery Act and companies like Suniva,” continued Secretary Chu in his blog post. “Suniva has created more than 150 clean energy jobs manufacturing high-efficiency silicon solar cells and modules, using technology developed at UCEP. Fifty of those jobs are the direct result of a clean energy tax credit that was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”
“As the only U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency silicon solar cells and modules that uses U.S. technology and hires U.S. workers, we are proud to be breaking new ground in the clean energy race,” said Suniva CEO John Baumstark. “Secretary Chu’s comments are a testament to the innovative work our team is doing in making high-efficiency solar cells and modules affordable.”
For the full post on Suniva from The White House Blog, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/07/a-success-story-clean-energy-economy
About Suniva
Based in Norcross, GA, Suniva® manufactures high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and high power solar modules with low-cost techniques to make solar-generated electricity cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Suniva leverages exclusive licenses to critical patents and patent-pending intellectual property developed by Suniva founder and CTO, Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi, at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research, which is funded by the Department of Energy. Ranked #2 in The Wall Street Journal’s Top 10 Venture-Backed Clean Technology Companies in 2010, Suniva is making solar sensible as it sells its products worldwide. Suniva is also the 2010 recipient of the Renewable Energy Exporter of the Year, awarded by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. For additional information, please visit www.suniva.com.