Nextracker, a global manufacturer of solar trackers and related software solutions, and Unimacts, an industrial manufacturing and supply chain solutions provider, have started a new factory in the Las Vegas area.
Credit: Nextracker
This is the second dedicated manufacturing line for Nextracker that Unimacts has opened in the last year. The new, 160,000-sq-ft facility in Sloan, Nevada, produces steel torque tubes used to hold and rotate solar panels in single-axis solar trackers projects. The two factories will support more than 2 GW of new solar power each year.
“Unimacts is proud to play a role in providing key components and supply chain management, which is enabling the energy transition,” said Alan Hayes, CEO of Unimacts. “The federal incentives allow us to confidently invest in U.S. manufacturing, provide manufacturing jobs in Nevada and growth in the local economy. Having inaugurated our first Nevada site for solar component production in Las Vegas just nine months ago, we’re pleased to be once again partnering with the Nextracker team, expanding clean energy manufacturing capacity and contributing to local jobs.”
Nextracker has opened or expanded over 20 U.S. manufacturing facilities since 2021, including new or expanded dedicated production lines in Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee and Nevada.
“Today’s announcement is a great example of clean power driving an American manufacturing renaissance in Nevada and across the United States. Creating and expanding supply chains here at home strengthens America’s energy security, creates good-paying jobs and boosts the economy. These new manufacturing facilities also exemplify the key role of American technology in creating a clean, reliable, and affordable grid,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of American Clean Power.
ACP estimates that the IRA will help create 550,000 new clean energy jobs — more than doubling the current clean energy workforce. As a result, the clean power industry will support a direct workforce of nearly one million Americans by 2030.
Nextracker and Unimacts held a dedication event to announce the new line at the Sloan Las Vegas facility today. The new factory brings the company’s annual domestic solar tracker capacity to over 30 GW.
“American manufacturing has quickly become the heartbeat of the clean energy revolution,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextracker. “There is a trifecta of perfect conditions for this manufacturing renaissance: a terrific workforce, a great localized clean steel industry and strong demand for renewable energy. Over the last three years, Nextracker has operationalized over 20 factories, catalyzing thousands of jobs. This is what growth and scaling look like.”
News item from Nextracker
