Semprius holds grand opening in Henderson


Solar power innovator Semprius held a grand opening Sept. 26 for its new pilot production plant in Henderson. The project was made possible in part by state grants from the Job Development Investment Grant and One North Carolina Grant programs. To meet the targets established in these performance-based grants, the company plans to create 256 jobs over five years and make a capital investment of $89.7 million in Henderson. The N.C. Department of Commerce’s Bernard Torain was the original developer on this project.

During the grand opening event, local elected officials and economic development leaders were recognized by Semprius CEO Joe Carr, Governor Bev Perdue and N.C. Representative Jim Crawford. This included retired Henderson-Vance Chamber Executive Bill Edwards and Research Triangle Regional Partnership CEO Charles Hayes. The RTRP’s “Triple Helix” model of economic development supported the Semprius project, including efforts by NCSU’s Thomas White. Read more.

Other partners that assisted with this project included: N.C. Community Colleges, Vance County, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, the Vance County Economic Development Commission, Golden LEAF Foundation, the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, N.C. State University Economic Development Partnership, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Progress Energy.

Semprius opens solar panel factory in Henderson (The News & Observer – Raleigh, Sept. 26)