Wacker Chemie recently celebrated the opening of their newest polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee.
Polysilicon is a highly pure form of silicon that is used in most solar energy applications, as well as electrical components. It is also the Earth’s second most abundant element.
Wacker spent $2.5 billion on the construction of the plant, which is their largest investment to date. The plant took a total of five years to build and utilizes 40% of the land that Wacker purchased in Charleston.
Once the site is fully operational, it will employee a staff of around 650 people. So far, about 1,000 metric tons of polysilicon have been produced at the plant and over 20,000 tons will be produced per year.
