Greenfield Solar open in former Bayer site

Greenfield Solar Corp., a manufacturer of concentrated photovoltaic solar energy systems has opened its corporate headquarters in the former Bayer Diagnostics building in Oberlin.

The Oberlin facility will serve as the company's primary solar cell fabrication center as well as the corporate office. The facility is in addition to an existing manufacturing plant in North Ridgeville, where the parabolic mirrors and frame for the StarGenª CPV system are made, and research facilities in the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

"We are excited to expand into new facilities as our company and development needs continue to grow," said Greenfield Solar CEO Neil Sater. "The Oberlin facility's laboratory and clean room facility provide us the environment we need to deliver high quality product to our customers and continue to innovate on our cell technology."

City manager Eric Norenberg said Oberlin was a natural fit for the company's photo cell production. He said Oberlin is the only city in Lorain County with two clean rooms, which provide sterile environments for delicate parts assembly.

The StarGen system uses parabolic mirrors made of polished aluminum to concentrate sunlight on a photovoltaic cell module. A low-power motor and a computer programmed with the unit's location tracks the sun as it moves across the sky.

The photo cell modules are water-cooled, because the concentrated sunlight can heat the cells to more than 1100 degrees in a matter of minutes. The heated water can be used for a number of commercial or industrial applications.

Norenberg said the city is currently seeking a grant from the state of Ohio to purchase 16 of the systems to locate at the wastewater treatment plant. He said the thermal energy produced would be used to speed the drying of sludge before it is shipped out.

Jim Latham, director of operations, said the company currently employs about 20 people. But they plan to add more as production and sales pick up.

"With the opening of our Oberlin facility, we are taking a significant step towards hiring over 200 additional employees over the next five years within Ohio."

In addition the company expects for every job created within Greenfield Solar, an additional four jobs will be created in Ohio with suppliers of components, materials, and manufacturing processes. The company gets all its materials from companies in Ohio.