Hoku Scientific to build solar panels in Idaho

[boise1]

http://www.shareholder.hokuscientific.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=209551

Hoku Scientific Announces Selection of Idaho for Solar Module and Polysilicon Production Facilities

KAPOLEI, HI, Aug 30, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Hoku Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOKU), a materials science company focused on clean energy technologies, today announced it has selected the State of Idaho as the location for Hoku Solar and Hoku Materials, its solar module and polysilicon business units, respectively.

Dustin Shindo, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hoku Scientific, said, "We are pleased to have selected Idaho as the location for our new businesses. We believe that Idaho is the best location in terms of cost, resources, labor and government support."

"We are very excited that Hoku Scientific has chosen Idaho as the location for its new high technology renewable energy-focused businesses," said Idaho's Governor Jim Risch. "We have met with their management team, and were impressed with their growth strategy. We expect Hoku Scientific to have a significant long-term positive impact on our economy."

The State of Idaho and the municipal governments have offered Hoku Scientific a variety of incentives to attract the Hoku Solar and Hoku Materials businesses, including tax incentives, financial support for infrastructure improvements around the facilities, and grants to fund the training of new employees.

"Idaho is a very attractive place for us to expand our business," said Shindo, "and we look forward to contributing to Idaho's growing and diversified economy."

---------------------------------------------

Idaho may have gotten a foot in the door for this with the involvement of IdaTech LLC in another Hoku project. Ten fuel cell powerplants are running on a demonstration basis for the US Navy in Hawaii:
http://www.shareholder.hokuscientific.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=207603

[urbuddha]

1. Snake River location is not safe for the environment

September 01, 2006
Is It Rape Or ConsensualBy GUARDIAN READER “DH”

Red flags pop up when an industrial company like Hoku Scientific of Hawaii announces plans to locate a new Solar Panel Manufacturing plant at a site somewhere along our Snake River.


When someone wants to put a plant next to a river it isn’t because they want to help the environment! Why along the river and why in Idaho? The Daily Paper and Lame Duck Guv Risch tout “300 jobs” as a good reason to welcome an industrial plant.

Hoku said they decided to locate here because of “Tax Incentives and Tax Breaks” provided by Idaho state government. In light of the secret policy of the Tax Commission toward Cabela’s, we need to find out fast just exactly what is being given away to Hoku.

Like most silicon based technology manufacturing, solar panel production consumes massive amounts of electricity. The Hoku spokesperson was also quoted in the Daily Paper saying that Idaho’s “cheap” electricity was another reason for choosing Idaho over Singapore. Idaho Power’s most recent attempts to raise residential power rates cited record power consumption as one justification for price hikes.

They didn’t say anything about “cheap labor” in a right to work state, but you can bet that was hyped by our state procurers. Also not mentioned were the processes used to convert silicon into useable products.

Who pays for the incentives and tax breaks the politico gang is giving this company? Even with the skewed “pie in the sky” benefits used to justify this sellout (giveaway?), how many of these 300 jobs will go to current residents of Idaho? Of those jobs that “may” be filled by “Idahoans,” how many will be “good paying?” Will this deal reduce MY taxes? We need answers before embracing this babe.

When business orders exceed production capacity, most businesses use their own profits for expansion. Idaho Power merely approaches the P.U.C. and says they need to raise OUR rates to pay for their new generation and distribution systems. By law Idaho Power has to meet the demands of its customers (in exchange for the monopoly rights). With a big consumer like Hoku in the mix, don’t look for any good news soon.

High tech manufacturing has been deceitfully billed as clean and non-polluting. Not so.
Check out some of these often found skull and crossed bones ingredients: dopants such as arsenic, boron, antimony, phosphorus and compounds like arsine, phosphine, silane. Liquids like hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid.

No matter how these deadly chemicals are used, handled and stored at the manufacturing sites, the possibility exists they will be released through fire, earthquake, theft or other means. Even the benign sounding Hydrogen Peroxide was referenced as a major explosive component in the recently revealed English terrorist plot to blow up airliners. The new chemicals are transported to the plants over our roads and through our airports. The used/contaminated chemicals that are not consumed on site are also shipped to other areas for disposal. We don’t need more hazardous material in Idaho, let alone “along the Snake River.”

Maybe Lame Duck Guv has a point. Chum more deadly chemicals that may end up in the water or air. There are too many healthy people here anyway. West Nile Virus and Dibrom haven’t helped much to improve the medical economy. Or maybe we should just ask for a big, wet, kiss because we have certainly been screwed!


Posted by dave on September 01, 2006 at 03:27 PM | Comments (13) | Printer-friendly

[rclaven]

2. Re: Hoku Scientific to build solar panels in Idaho

While I would certainly like to see the U.S. gain on some of our foreign competitors when it comes to green energy technologies such as making solar panels, it's frustrating when the plants are proposed on the banks of beautiful rivers such as Idaho's Snake River. While I'm not quite as upset about the announcement as urbuddha (see his post for his opinion), I do agree that some skepticism is warranted. I don't live in Idaho, but I do live close to a scenic river in California and, as much as I like the idea of building solar panels locally and creating jobs in the process, I'm not sure along the banks of my local river would be an acceptable location. To those of you who are local to the proposed location, good luck determining whether this is a proposal to celebrate or denigrate.