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US-made advanced solar panels, by a nonprofit [1]

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Date: 2023-03-28

The Pomona pilot factory- limited automation in order to bring more jobs.

The first nonprofit solar modules manufacturer has built a pilot micro-factory in Pomona CA. CHERP Solar Works embeds advanced electronics behind the high efficiency silicon cells, resulting in significantly more power per watt than anything on the market. In cost-benefit analyses they even beat the cheap foreign panels that dominate the industry. That’s a first for US manufacturing since the Carter days, before Reagan threw all the incentives out and the technology got exported, leading to China dominating solar panel manufacturing.

One feature which boosts power production is operating at far lower temperature, resulting in less power loss immediately and half the cell degradation of standard panels over time. In fact it recently became the first solar panel to be certified with fire rating Type 1, Class A. Another feature makes the panels impervious to up to 10% of shade from neighboring trees and buildings. The technological advances are patented. The technology took a decade to develop and test, with verifications by Harvey Mudd College.

CHERP’s mission is the build such micro-factories in low income cities across the US, creating hundreds well-paying local jobs, supplying the solar panels to local projects and recirculating resultant cash flows within the city, lifting it up economically. Each will be in partnership with a capable local non-profit organization that will own and operate the micro-factory, usually in a short-term arrangement with a tax equity investor who brings the initial capital then with full ownership. The factory must remain in control of a nonprofit or it loses its license to manufacture the panels.

UL certification is scheduled by end of June. CHERP is in its final fundraising now, to purchase large quantities of materials to begin full scale production in July. After this each CHERP micro-factory will become a sustainable enterprise by selling its solar panels, not fundraising.

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has vastly expanded federal support for renewable energy, including US manufacturing. The IRA’s financial incentives to build such factories are significant, as is ongoing production support. Solar projects have gained even more federal support through the IRA. Commercial solar projects that qualify as paying Fair Wages, meet standards for US Content and meet other qualifiers can gain these subsidies often worth three quarters of the project cost. In rural areas a USDA grant program can add to the support.

Find more information, and donate if you find merit in this endeavor, at www.cherpsolar.org. Be sure to check out the factory video.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/28/2160653/-US-made-advanced-solar-panels-by-a-nonprofit

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