Solar panel maker to invest $63 million, create 104 jobs in Bedford County

A new company plans to invest $63 million to start up a solar panel manufacturing facility in Bedford County, creating 104 jobs.

Solarix purchased the 424,400-square-foot former Teva Pharmaceutical Industries building in Forest and will use it for advanced solar panel production, according to a news release Thursday from the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance.

Solarix co-founder and CEO Carlos Class said in the release that the company hopes to support Virginia’s renewable energy needs and reduce reliance on solar panels from other countries, particularly China.

“As a 100% American-owned and managed company, we are immensely proud to contribute to our nation’s energy independence,” Class said.

The company will make solar modules for a variety of utility-scale, residential and commercial uses.

Manufacturing is expected to begin by next July, and all 104 positions are expected to be filled by that time, Solarix Chief Relationship Officer Dakota Forgione said in an interview.

Solarix is a new company that was formed specifically to set up this facility, and its principals have prior experience in the solar manufacturing industry, Forgione said.

“The timing was right to bring this type of manufacturing capacity to the U.S.,” Forgione said.

Solarix expects to achieve an initial annual production capacity of 1 gigawatt with a goal of increasing to 3 gigawatts, according to the news release. One gigawatt of electricity is enough to power about 750,000 homes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The company also plans to create a recycling line, accepting old and broken solar modules from other manufacturers and helping customers replace them with Solarix’s products.

Solarix is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a disabled veteran-owned company, and it is planning initiatives to hire and train veterans, according to the release.

Forgione said the company hopes to collaborate with Virginia Tech and Liberty University on materials and robotics research.

The Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance partnered with the Bedford County Office of Economic Development to secure the project for the county. Forgione said Solarix will qualify for a federal advanced manufacturing tax credit and plans to pursue state and county incentives based around hiring.

Solarix’s entry into Bedford County marks a new chapter for the former Teva plant, which was a large local employer for years before it shut down.

In 1996, New York-based drug maker Barr Laboratories began operations at the site on more than 50 acres off Perrowville Road in Forest. Over the years, the company expanded its square footage multiple times.

In 2008, Teva, an Israel-based firm that is a major producer of generic medicine, announced it would acquire Barr Laboratories.

In 2017, Teva said it would sell or close the Forest facility, affecting approximately 300 employees.

In 2019, Teva notified state officials that it planned a mass layoff impacting 220 workers. In 2020, the plant closed.

Last month, Solarix bought the property for just under $17 million, Forgione said.

Bedford County Board of Supervisors Chair Edgar Tuck said in Thursday’s news release that he is “thrilled that Solarix has decided to set up operations in Bedford County.”

“It’s great to see this long-vacant space finally being put to beneficial use,” Tuck said.

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