New Solar Supply Company Plants Green Jobs in Tennessee

Cotton and tobacco aren't they only thing growing in Tennessee, green jobs are taking root as well. The expansion of Hemlock, Michigan-based Hemlock Semiconductor in Clarksville, TN has brought 800 construction jobs and will bring 500 permanent green jobs to the area.

This new Hemlock Semiconductor facility will produce polysilicon to be used in the photovoltaic solar cell production.

The Tennessean reports,

Now, the promise of a "green jobs" wave seems to be coming to fruition at big projects such as Hemlock or smaller ones such as government-funded weatherization programs. Training programs have sprung up to prepare Tennessee's workers for all the new tasks that hold hope of delivering steady wages.

All of Hemlock's workers, from chemical engineers to skilled tradesmen such as pipefitters and electricians, are considered part of the burgeoning green economy, said Brian Amick, Hemlock's training manager.

According to MLive.com, $141.8 million tax credit that went to the Hemlock Semiconductor Group supported this $1 billion expansion of its polycrystaline silicon empire. In 2009, an estimated 40 percent of the global polysilicion supply came from the United States, and a large portion of that from Hemlock Semiconductor.

Check out this aerial view of the new facility in Clarksville, TN (just northwest of Nashville):

[Photos: PR Newswire & MLive]