Suniva, Inc. (Norcross, Georgia), a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency mono-crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, on March 11th, 2010 announced that it was named "Renewable Energy Exporter of the Year" by the Export-Import Bank (EX-IM Bank) of the United States. The award was presented at the EX-IM Bank annual conference before Suniva’s John Baumstark introduced U.S. President Barack Obama to attendees. According to the press release, Suniva exported more than 90 % of its products to Asia and Europe in 2009.

The company reportedly created more than 150 new jobs and plans to hire 500 additional staff at a new manufacturing plant in Michigan. "As America’s only manufacturer of high-efficiency, mono-crystalline solar cells, Suniva is proud to be doing its part to help make President Obama’s vision of doubling exports over the next five years a reality", said John Baumstark, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Suniva. "The Suniva team is working hard to protect the environment and create new jobs for the next generation of Americans." According to the press release, Suniva was also recently featured in several prestigious venture capital backed company lists. The company reportedly ranked as The Wall Street Journal’s 2nd most promising venture-backed clean technology company and the 15th overall venture-backed company across all industries.

Solar manufacturer’s deal named "Green Transaction of the Year"

According to an EX-IM Bank press release, Suniva was also honored with the bank’s 2010 "Green Transaction of the Year" award at the Bank's annual conference in Washington, D.C., on March 11th, 2010. Suniva reportedly used a 2 million US-dollar EX-IM Bank short-term multi-buyer insurance policy to offer a 500,000 US-dollar credit line to a customer in India to buy its solar equipment. The company currently has a number of potential export deals in the pipeline, EX-IM Bank reports. "Suniva exemplifies the innovative spirit behind the development of America's leading-edge green technology, and its export to the global marketplace", said EX-IM Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "This company is growing global business and U.S. jobs at a time when many small companies are wary of exporting. We hope Suniva's receipt of this award will inspire other U.S. small businesses to increase sales through exporting, with the support of Ex-Im Bank."

U.S. solar company exports 90 % of its products

Suniva reportedly grew out of the Department of Energy-funded University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a key site for silicon photovoltaics (PV) research in the U.S. Export sales represent 90 % of the company's business. "Having the backing of Ex-Im Bank is of tremendous value in selling even more U.S.-made products in the global marketplace", said Suniva Chief Marketing Officer Bryan Ashley. "There are many situations where Ex-Im Bank availability can make the difference between whether we are short-listed or not. We now have five potential deals in the pipeline where Ex-Im Bank availability is critical to winning the sale. We're currently expanding our facilities in Georgia, and will be hiring additional employees to support that expansion."

2010-03-19 | Courtesy: Suniva, Inc. | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH