Solar Power in the News

From yesterday's Commercial Appeal...

Sharp taps into power of sun
Company launches largest solar-power array in Tennessee

The way officials at Sharp Manufacturing Co. of America see it, at least some of the power needed to manufacture solar-energy panels should come from solar energy.

That logic explained the Earth Day ceremony Thursday in which the Sharp plant in Southeast Memphis launched the operation of Tennessee's largest solar-power array.

"We like to put into practical application the things that we tell people," said T.C. Jones, vice president of human resources at the plant.

The nearly 800 solar panels that cover 12,000 square feet of Sharp's roof will generate 150 kilowatts of power. That, coupled with the 50-kilowatt system previously in place, is enough for about 15 homes, but only a "very small" portion of the power needed to operate the entire plant, Jones said.

Sharp, located on Mendenhall in southeast Memphis, is one of the largest solar-power manufacturing facilities in the U.S., producing enough commercial and residential panels annually to generate 140 megawatts of electricity.

Cost figures for the new array were not available Thursday, but the company will benefit from government incentives for solar power.

The incentives include a 30 percent federal tax credit and a state grant covering up to 40 percent of the cost. Also, the Tennessee Valley Authority will buy the power produced by the array, even though the electricity will be used by the plant.

Sharp now has the largest solar array in Tennessee, officials said. It is "by far" the largest of six solar generators in Shelby County, said Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division president and CEO Jerry Collins.

With the solar-energy market expanding, in part because of the incentives, Sharp has expanded production in recent months, increasing the number of employees in the solar division from about 320 to 480.

Sharp president Kunio Kamimura said there is "much, much potential" for further job growth at the plant and in other areas of the solar industry.