Renewable energy company to move to Greensville

Renewable energy company 510nano Inc. announced Monday it will spend $11 million to relocate its headquarters to Greensville County from Durham, N.C. and open a solar panel manufacturing plant.

The company will build a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The project will create 113 new jobs.

510nano specializes in the development of commercial renewable energy projects and the design of associated modules, panels and other hardware. The company was founded in 2005 and has developed more than 30 clean technologies.

“Solar VIA is a technology that we’ve designed to lower the cost of solar generation to less than 6 cents per kilowatt-hour without subsidy,” Reginald Parker, president & CEO of 510nano Inc., said in a statement. “With great access to I-95, Hampton Roads and rail, we see Greensville County, Va., as an ideal home for the manufacturing site for Solar VIA, the headquarters for our solar energy business, and our energy research and technology center. Additionally, we felt that Greensville offered an attractive labor force, strategic nearby partners, and a great name for a green innovation company. This big step is more than a great opportunity. It is a renewable energy achievement for Virginia and the nation at large.”

Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $200,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to help Greensville with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $635,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.