When it comes to the solar industry, TN is nowhere the player that California and Texas are, but the state does have some 6,000 jobs in the sector. A new report gives a big picture of the state of the solar business in Tennessee.According to the Tennessee Solar Institute, there are more 200 companies in the solar trade. 33 of them have received federal stimulus money. One of them is Shoals Technology Group in Portland, which got more than half a million dollars. The company used to make car parts, but now builds fuses for solar panels. It ships them all over the world, to customers in China and Malaysia. Dean Solon is CEO. He’s says the industry is going to keep growing…up to a point.
“It’s no different than telecom, where you had too many suppliers jump in too quickly. Now, what’s happening is the industry is getting smarter, it’s growing up. It’s getting more hi tech. So, it’s going to be the innovative, agile companies who can weather the storm.”
The Tennessee Solar Institute distributes federal grants to companies. It says the challenge is training Tennessee workers for jobs in the industry.
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