Solar startup considering Henrico County

Green jobs for a solar-manufacturing company may be coming to Henrico County.

Newly formed United States Green Energy is searching for a place to start manufacturing photovoltaic products for residential and commercial use.

Henrico is in the running, as is Spotsylvania County and Durham, N.C., said Robert Bennett, one of the owners of the startup solar firm.

"Henrico's chances are very good," said Bennett, who is also owner of the clean-energy consulting firm Energy & Environment Inc. in Spotsylvania. "They're probably better than 50 percent because there's a building we like, we like a lot."

Bennett and his partners have been consulting economic development agencies.

"If the business is successful, I think it has tremendous potential," said Gary R. McLaren, executive director of the Henrico County Economic Development Authority. "This is a group of contractors that I think have an interesting concept."

The final decision will come down to finding the right building and a community's willingness to work with small businesses. Incentives could play a part as well, Bennett said.

It could be the first photovoltaic manufacturing facility in the state, said Peter Lowenthal, executive director of the Solar Energy Industry Association of Maryland, D.C., and Virginia.

Photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity.

The company has been working on prototypes for three years and will initially offer 10 photovoltaic products, Bennett said.

He also said the prototypes are easier to install than traditional solar components and that will help drive down costs for consumers.

The firm hopes to start with a skeleton crew of about 25 people in November and increase the number of employees to 100 within a year. At the end of three years, they hope to employ 500 people, Bennett said.

While the company is just starting, it could provide a boost to a local manufacturing sector hit hard by the closure of memory-chip maker Qimonda Richmond and Reynolds Foil.

"We will be putting some of the Qimonda people back to work," said Charles Bush, director of sales for Energy & Environment.

Contact Emily C. Dooley at (804) 649-6016 or .