Michigan solar material supplier gives boost to state's renewable energy industry

--This article originally appeared on January 8, 2009

The sun will come out, tomorrow, bet a billion dollars that tomorrow there'll be sun.

And there will also be solar power thanks to a billion-dollar expansion by a Michigan solar material supplier.

Excerpt:

But a pair of billion-dollar expansions announced this week by polycrystalline silicon manufacturer Hemlock Semiconductor illustrated that renewable energy isn't dead. In fact, you can make a strong case that the proliferation of renewable energy portfolio standards - which more than half of the states have approved - may continue to drive alternative energy investment.

Hemlock on Monday announced that it would invest $1 billion in an expansion in Saginaw County's Thomas Township and another $1.2 billion in an expansion in Tennessee. This came after we reported last week that Hemlock was still considering expansion plans despite the financial crisis and Dow Chemical Co.'s decision to cut 5,000 jobs worldwide. (Dow owns half of Dow Corning, which is Hemlock's biggest investor.)

Read the entire article here.