The German company SMA Solar Technology AG, announced it will be opening a Denver manufacturing facility near Stapleton which is expected to employ 300 full time workers and hundreds more seasonally once it is fully staffed. SMA makes solar inverters--with a product lineup of Sunny Boy, Sunny Central and Sunny Island --that convert direct current generated by photovoltaic solar panels into the alternating current employed by the electric grid.
See here for SMA's press release announcing the decision.
Generating 300 manufacturing jobs within Denver city limits is a big deal, especially given the state of the U.S. economy and this announcement strengthens Colorado's claim to be an emerging green energy cluster. Each new green energy sector job win increases the probability of future wins due to the network effects of agglomeration.
The Post cites SMA's Chief Financial Officer about the reasons the company selected Metro Denver for the facility's location.
"[t]he [Denver] region's educated workforce; the site's proximity to
Interstate 70, rail and Denver International Airport; lower operating costs; and
the area's focus on renewable-energy research were behind the decision to locate
here."
According to The Post, the State of Colorado and City of Denver provided $3.6 million in economic development incentives to SMA.
In Germany, SMA is located north of Frankfurt along a high speed rail line. I am not too familiar with Germany, but I suspect the direct flights between Frankfurt and DIA really facilitated this decision.
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