Vanir Energy to Invest $14 Million in NC Solar Projects
Multi-national company acquires Appalachian Energy.’
from Staff Reports
Appalachian Solar Energy announced today that it has been acquired by Vanir Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Vanir Group of Companies Inc. Vanir Energy will be headquartered in Fletcher and staffed by the former personnel of Appalachian Solar Energy with support from Vanir management in Sacramento, California.
The announcement means $14 million will be invested in solar thermal technology projects throughout North Carolina in 2009. Vanir Energy will own and operate the solar thermal systems it installs, allowing its customers to “go solar” without making capital expenditures.
“This represents more great news in our growing environmental
enterprises cluster because it means new jobs, an influx of targeted
capital and momentum to put Western North Carolina on the map as the
sustainability capital of the U.S.A.” said Dale Carroll, CEO of
AdvantageWest, the regional Economic Development Commission based in
Asheville. “This announcement is right on track with a major initiative
we call ‘AdvantageGreen,’ a green-collar jobs strategy the
AdvantageWest board and staff began to devise in 2007 as part of our Vision Plan.”
Andrew Tate, President and CEO of the Henderson County
Partnership for Economic Development, said: “We’re tremendously proud
that a company with roots in Fletcher has become a national player in
the alternative energy revolution.”
With more than 30 years of construction management and
development experience, Vanir Energy is well positioned to lead North
Carolina and the nation in converting to solar thermal power, said
Steve Hunter, COO of Vanir Energy. Executive Vice President Scott Clark
said the first Vanir project will be a solar thermal installation at
Fletcher Business Park, a 900,000-square-foot facility where the
company is headquartered, and which is expected to create more than 50
jobs.
The business park will be the largest installation of solar
thermal heating and cooling technology in the world, with 640 panels
producing 1.5 megawatts of power. Vanir Energy will own and operate the
system at no capital expenditure to Fletcher Business Park, a model the
company plans to repeat across the state.
Vanir Energy is a North Carolina-chartered business and a
subsidiary of Vanir Group of Companies Inc., a woman- and
minority-owned business enterprise (WMBE) with a diversified portfolio
of construction, construction management, real estate development, and
energy service companies. Vanir Group of Companies is headquartered in
Sacramento, CA, with offices located throughout the United States and
Dubai.
AdvantageWest Economic Development Group is WNC’s regional
economic development commission chartered by the General Assembly in
1994. Its primary focus is marketing the North Carolina mountains to
corporations seeking to relocate or open a new facility, expand an
existing business within our region, or might otherwise improve the
quality of life for citizens within our region through activities such
as filmmaking, entrepreneurship and tourism. For more information,
visit advantagewest.com.
