HINCHEY, CAHILL & TECH CITY

Below is a portion of the press release from the office of Maurice Hinchey received through twitter:

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D), and The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC) President and CEO Vincent Cozzolino today announced that solar manufacturer, Solartech Renewables, will relocate its operations to Tech City and plans to create 100 new jobs within one year.

Solartech Renewables' move to Tech City was made possible due to a variety of funding sources, including federal money Hinchey personally obtained from Congress and various sources of state funding, as well as extensive assistance from TSEC.

"Over the last three years, we've developed a strong core network of solar companies in the Hudson Valley. Solartech Renewables is a company with a bright future that will create 100 jobs in the Hudson Valley over the next year and help further our effort to develop the Hudson Valley as a solar energy research, development and manufacturing cluster," Hinchey said. "These types of targeted investments enable solar companies to come to the Hudson Valley to setup their business, create jobs, and contribute to the development of the region's overall economy. The Solar Energy Consortium has been remarkable in serving as the centerpiece of this ongoing effort, which has already had a great deal of success in our area."

Solartech Renewables' state-of-the art manufacturing facility is slated for commissioning at Tech City. The company will produce both standard and improved polycrystalline silicon solar panels. Solartech's initial production capacity of 12MW (or approximately 55,000 solar panels per year) will be operational in 2010. Additional modular expansion of the manufacturing line is planned through 2012. At inception, the manufacturing facility will start with 15,000 square feet of manufacturing floor space and the capacity for around-the-clock operations employing upwards of 50 Ulster County-area workers. Solartech's Tech City plant will be the only U.S.-owned solar panel manufacturing facility operating in the eastern United States.

"Solartech Renewables will serve as a proud producer of both standard and advanced 'Made in America – Made in New York' solar panels within the cluster of solar cell manufacturers and other solar companies developing in the Tech City complex and nearby in the Hudson Valley region," said Solartech Renewables Chairman and CEO Todd Roberts. "Congressman Hinchey and Assemblyman Cahill provide the leadership in the Hudson Valley region for solar cluster in which we will operate, and of course for the employment, economic development and intellectual capital benefits that are created and retained here in Kingston as a result of their solar energy manufacturing leadership. Without their support, our launch in Kingston would not have been possible. We thank them and Governor Paterson for the clean energy policies, vision and support that have made New York the best place in the nation to commission an advanced solar panel manufacturing facility."

TSEC is an industry-driven, non-profit organization that provides leadership, organization, resources, and support for the establishment of a major solar energy industry cluster in New York. Hinchey helped establish TSEC in 2007 and has secured more than $31 million in federal funding for the consortium and its partners to establish a solar industry research and manufacturing cluster in the New York Hudson Valley region. TSEC has partnered with more than 70 small and large companies, including nearly a dozen that have already created 200 jobs in the Hudson Valley. TSEC expects another 300 new jobs to be created in the Hudson Valley within the next year, including 100 jobs associated with Solartech Renewables. By the end of 2011, these companies collectively plan to bring more than 1,000 new jobs to the Hudson Valley.

TSEC was central to bringing Solartech Renewables to Tech City -- providing $600,000 to facilitate the company's move to Tech City. The $600,000 comes from a $2.25 million allocation that Hinchey secured from Congress as part of the fiscal year 2010 budget to help the consortium bring in new solar companies to the Hudson Valley, create jobs and further grow the solar industry in the region.

Solartech was also awarded $1.5 million in manufacturing incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) under its Renewable, Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Product Manufacturing Incentive Program. The company also received Empire Zone certification for its Tech City manufacturing facility just prior to the end of 2009. Approximately $1.7 million in Empire Zone credits and job incentives are expected as a result of this certification. The Empire State Development Corporation is also contributing a $2 million convertible loan that Cahill helped obtain to bring the company to New York.