Renewable energy company SPI Energy Co. Ltd. says it's started solar module production at McClellan Park, and that it plans to expand production to reach 1 gigawatt of production by the end of the year.
The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy calculates that 1 gigawatt is equal to 3.1 million solar panels.
SPI Energy (Nasdaq: SPI), which moved its headquarters from Santa Clara to McClellan earlier this month, didn’t return calls or emails from the Business Journal seeking comment.
SPI at the end of last year took over the lease of Sunergy America LLC, which had a 140,000-square-foot solar panel manufacturing plant at McClellan Park.
In its most recent quarterly report, SPI said that it “started ‘Made-in-USA’ solar module production at the Sacramento facility with delivery to local customers underway.”
The company also reported that it began expansion of the facility to “reach 1.1 gigawatts (GW) capacity by year-end 2022.”
SPI Energy is a global company focused on solar, storage and electric vehicle products for business, residential and utility customers. Its move of headquarters from the Bay Area to Sacramento is somewhat of a return home for the company, which has its roots in Roseville and Granite Bay.
SPI started in Roseville in 2006 as Solar Power Inc., manufacturing solar panels in China and installing solar-power systems in the U.S., Europe and Asia. A majority interest in the company was acquired by a Chinese company in 2011, which moved the headquarters to the Bay Area. SPI Energy took over the rest of SPI in 2016.
SPI Energy has three primary divisions, including residential solar, commercial and utility solar and EdisonFuture/Phoenix Motor, divisions that make electric trucks and cars in Southern California.
SPI Energy has operations in North America, Australia, Asia and Europe.
