Amonix closes North Las Vegas solar plant after 14 months, heavy federal subsidies
By Hubble Smith
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Jul. 18, 2012 | 10:59 a.m.
Updated: Jul. 18, 2012 | 2:46 p.m.

The Amonix solar manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, heavily financed under an Obama administration energy initiative, has closed its 214,000-square-foot facility 14 months after it opened.

Officials at Amonix headquarters in Seal Beach, Calif., have not responded to repeated calls for comment this week. The company today began selling equipment, from automated tooling systems to robotic welding cells.

A designer and manufacturer of concentrated photovoltaic solar power systems, Amonix received $6 million in federal tax credits and a $15.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build the plant in North Las Vegas.

Rene Kenerly, a former material and supply manager at Amonix, said the plant has been idle since May 1, when he was laid off. At its peak, the plant had ramped up to about 700 employees working three shifts a day to produce solar panels for a utility customer in Amarosa, Colo., he said.

"I don't think they had a lot of training," Kenerly said. "There were a lot of quality issues. A lot of stuff was coming back because it had some functionality issues."

The Amonix plant was highly touted by politicians and economic development officials when it opened in May 2011. Company executives said they would employ as many as 300 assembly line workers paid $12 to $14 an hour, plus benefits. http://www.lvrj.com/business/a.....idies-162901626.html

So they said they'd hire 300, ended up hiring "about 700" - and yet, despite the fact that the taxpayers are on the hook for 21+ MILLION, you've got a problem with it?

Hell, if I had $21 million, I'd hire 700 people too ... of course, they'd only be employed for about 12 hours, but hey ... jobs creation.

/tic

I thought they were going to help the ranchers/farmers and their water dilemma.....nah,,,,just kept gambling