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California company plans $200M solar plant

Business First of Buffalo - by David Bertola

A San Francisco-based company has been allocated five megawatts of low-cost hydropower to encourage the construction and operation of a $200 million solar panel manufacturing plant in Western New York.

The new facility for Sunworks Solar LLC would create an estimated 175 permanent clean-energy jobs and 300 construction jobs. The location of the operation has not been determined.

The allocation was voted on by the New York Power Authority board of trustees, which met Tuesday at NYPA’s Niagara Power Project Power Vista in Lewiston.

When completed, the facility would manufacture ready-to-deploy solar panels for commercial, government and utility solar markets.

Sunworks Solar considers low-cost electricity critical for managing its costs in competing with offshore manufacturers that also are engaged in solar panel production.

“We are pleased to partner with NYPA as we work towards building a solar panel manufacturing facility in Western New York,” said Sunworks CEO Brian Robertson, adding the low-cost hydropower attracted his company to consider the investment in the region.

Although the company has been considering multiple sites in the Northeast for a new facility, it has indicated Western New York is an optimal location because of the region’s proximity to fast growing markets.

“This is another example of how NYPA resources are strategically used to both advance the growth of the clean energy sector in New York State and to help stimulate the Western New York economy,” said NYPA President and CEO Richard Kessel.

Sunworks Solar estimates a facility in Western New York could eventually result in as many as 1,300 jobs in various parts of the state, including supply chain support, as well as jobs related to the installation and maintenance of its solar panels.

Buffalo Niagara Enterprise President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Kucharski called the hydropower allocation the cornerstone of his agency’s efforts to bring Sunworks Solar to Western New York.

“(The allocation) will keep us on track in working with Sunworks to keep the cost of production globally competitive, and in identifying a suitable Western New York site for the facility’s construction and operation,” Kucharski said.

Although plans are still being finalized, construction could begin as early as the spring of 2010 and be completed by the summer of 2011.

Career resource expo at ECC aims to aid job seekers

Jul-31-2009 — If the region’s jobless rate is any indication, the first Western New York Career Resource Expo is arriving at just the right time. The free event, a combination of expert advice, panel discussions and networking opportunities for job seekers, is scheduled for 1 p. m. to 5 p. m. on Aug. 12 at Erie Community College’s downtown campus on Ellicott Street.

Roswell Park Awarded $2.8 Million Grant to Study Ovarian Cancer

Jul-30-2009 — BUFFALO, NY – The National Cancer Institute has awarded a five-year, $2.8 million Research Project (RO1) grant to Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers to investigate the role of immunological pathways in the development of ovarian cancer.

Novel Drug Shows Promising Results in Early Clinical Trials

Jul-30-2009 — BUFFALO, NY- A new cancer drug shows promising results in patients with metastatic cancer. The phase I clinical trial research will be presented by Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President for Clinical Research and the Katherine Anne Gioia Chair in Cancer Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2009 annual meeting, May 29 – June 2, in Orlando, FL.

Business Outlook: Buffalo Niagara

Jul-30-2009 — US Airways Magazine Promotional Business Series

UB start-up provides innovative digital sperm analysis to infertile couples worldwide

Jul-28-2009 — BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Couples struggling with fertility problems have a new option for assessing their ability to have a child with the start-up of a new Buffalo-based company called LifeCell Dx, Inc. (LCDX). The company was founded by Lani J. Burkman, Ph.D., a reproductive physiologist in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and a nationally recognized specialist in andrology, the medical specialty dealing with male r

RPCI, UB share stim fundingBusiness First of Buffalo

Jul-28-2009 — Two new federal stimulus grants totaling nearly $4.2 million are on their way to support biomedical research and training in Western New York. Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University at Buffalo will receive grants of $2.2 million and $1.95 million, respectively, from the National Institutes of Health. The funds, which come through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are targeted toward biomedical research and research training at more than 3,000 institutions nationwide. The

The Avant Opens

Jul-17-2009 — The Avant in Downtown Buffalo opened on July 8th, with the first 7 floors dedicated to Embassy Suites. According to General Manager John Gurren, it received the highest pre-opening sign-off scores ever awarded by the Embassy team for a new hotel in all of Embassy's history. But then, the Avant, a Uniland development, is so much more.

Riding the wind to new jobs

Jul-16-2009 — Buffalo Niagara Enterprise hosted the event in Cheektowaga to help businesses identify how to get involved. About 200 people attended, far exceeding the group’s expectations, said Thomas A. Kucharski, the BNE’s president and chief executive officer. Regions around the country are trying to grab a piece of the wind power industry. It is gaining appeal as other sectors of the economy struggle and renewable energy draws more interest amid fluctuations in oil prices and concerns about the enviro

Inside Yahoo’s Site Selection Process

Jul-16-2009 — What goes into landing a major data center project? The Buffalo News takes an in-depth look at the effort to land a $150 million Yahoo data center project for the town of Lockport in western New York. It was an effort that involved more than 100 officials from 31 different entities, with Buffalo Niagara Enterprise directing traffic.

The Yahoo! deal

Jul-13-2009 — Gov. David A. Paterson joined a host of local and state politicians via video conference on June 30 to trumpet the decision by Yahoo to build a data center in Lockport.

Remarks With Canadian Foreign Minister Cannon

Jul-13-2009 — FOREIGN MINISTER CANNON: Canada and the United States have committed this morning to amending the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This is important for both nations. These inland waters are the largest system of fresh water in the world, a foundation for billions of dollars in trade, shipping, agriculture, recreation, of course, and other sectors. The Government of Canada has taken significant efforts in the past three years to protect the Great Lakes, and today, this joint stewardship of t

WNY is Stable Market for Warehouse/Manufacturing Opportunities

Jul-09-2009 — The Western New York market has an abundance of warehouse/manufacturing space in all sizes and prices including shovel-ready land, brand new quality spec products, and existing facilities that can accommodate up to 1.5 million square feet of space.

Bills season-ticket sales keep surging

Jul-08-2009 — The Buffalo Bills said Monday that season-ticket sales have surpassed 52,000 for the second straight year, the first time that’s happened since the early 1990s. The announcement came as the team also said that individual-game tickets for the first three home games of the 2009 National Football League season are sold out. Those games at Ralph Wilson Stadium are against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (home opener, Sept. 20), the New Orleans Saints (Sept. 27)and Cleveland Browns (Oct. 11).

Bridge condition reports to be updated on Twitter

Jul-08-2009 — The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission announced Wednesday that it will release reports on traffic delays at two international bridges via the free Internet service Twitter.com.

Women & Children’s cares for Ontario ‘miracle baby’

Jul-08-2009 — One-week-old Ava Isabella Stinson — all 2 pounds of her — has made quite a dramatic entrance into the world. First her birth. Last Thursday, her parents, Natalie Paquette and Richard Stinson, rushed to a Hamilton, Ont., hospital, where she was born 20 minutes later — more than three months before her due date. She weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces at birth.

Canada buys in Buffalo

Jul-08-2009 — The Canadian government plunked down $320,000 last Tuesday to buy a single-family home in the Elmwood Village area, to be used for one of its foreign service staff.

Paterson has plans for 'new economy'

Jul-08-2009 — New York state will commit up to $100 million over several years to the so-called Innovation Economy Matching Grants program, one of several initiatives laid by Paterson under what he termed a new economy.

Wind power conference to focus on business opportunities

Jul-07-2009 — Buffalo Niagara Enterprise will host the Wind Component Manufacturing Symposium on July 15 at the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga. Organizers say the event is aimed at introducing companies not presently in the market to ways they can become part of the wind industry supply chain.

Plans for $200M solar plant in Buffalo Niagara

Jul-02-2009 — A San Francisco-based company has been allocated five megawatts of low-cost hydropower to encourage the construction and operation of a $200 million solar panel manufacturing plant in Western New York.