NEW ENERGY POLISHES RUST

Solar energy industry brings a ray of hope to the Rust Belt; Areas hard-hit by the U.S. automakers' slump are pitching themselves to green technology firms. Workers and machines that used to crank out cars are now making parts for solar and wind power plants.
Todd Woody, November 23, 2009 (LA Times)

"…In years past, Sunbelt governors recruited Midwestern businesses to set up shop in their states, dangling tax breaks and the lure of a union-free workforce…Now the tables have turned as solar start-ups, wind turbine companies and electric carmakers from California and the Southwest migrate to the nation's industrial heartland. They're looking to tap its manufacturing might and legions of skilled workers, hit hard by the near-collapse of the United States auto industry and eager for work.

"For all of green tech's futuristic sheen, solar power plants and wind farms are made of much of the same stuff as automobiles: machine-stamped steel, glass and gearboxes…That has renewable energy companies hitting the highway for Detroit and Northeastern industrial states, driven in part by the federal stimulus package's incentives and buy-American mandates…Fisker Automotive [of Southern California], for example, will manufacture its next plug-in electric hybrid car at a defunct General Motors assembly plant in Wilmington, Del…"

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"…Stirling Energy Systems, which is building two massive solar power plants in Southern California, has signed deals with two automotive companies to make components for its giant solar dishes…Stirling's 40-by-38-foot SunCatcher resembles a mirrored satellite dish. The SunCatcher's mirrors focus the sun on a Stirling engine that sits on an arm that extends from the center of the dish. The heat causes hydrogen gas in the engine to expand, which drives pistons that generate electricity…[The mirror frame is stamped metal just like a car frame]…

"Stirling signed an agreement with Tower Automotive to manufacture the dishes' structural components and assemble the mirror facets. The Livonia, Mich., company makes vehicle body parts and other components for the major carmakers but has seen auto orders slow with the downturn… Tower can use its existing machinery, with some modifications, and workforce to make SunCatcher components…[and] Stirling avoids the capital costs of setting up its own factories and gets to tap Tower's manufacturing know-how to bring down its costs, which will be a key competitive advantage…"

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"…[Stirling has] spent $30 million to $40 million in the Detroit area over the last year… hired 40 to 50 people from the automotive industry…[and] outsourced the manufacturing of specialized tools to companies in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana…About 25,000 SunCatchers will roll off the assembly line annually once production ramps up…

"…[A]vailable manufacturing muscle [also] attracted Skyline Solar, a Silicon Valley solar power plant builder…[to] a Troy, Mich., subsidiary of automotive giant Magna International to make the long metal arrays that hold its photovoltaic panels…[Ohio economic development officials] said Michigan was [their] biggest competitor for solar manufacturing projects…[but Ohio] secured one of the biggest solar companies, First Solar of Tempe, Ariz., to produce photovoltaic modules…[W]ind turbines are already made in Ohio, and Rolls-Royce recently announced it would consolidate its fuel cell operations in the Buckeye State…"