A Southern Indiana industrial park will now be a leader in “supporting America’s energy security” thanks to the opening of a new solar facility.
CS PowerTech Inc. opened its flagship manufacturing facility for production of solar cells at River Ridge Commerce Center July 24, hosting a ceremony with company, state and local leaders.
The facility – a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, the global behemoth known for its solar technology and renewable energy companies – will produce a type of modern, higher efficiency solar cells known as “heterojunction bifacial N-type solar cells,” which can typically be used in utility-scale solar farms.
“The Jeffersonville facility demonstrates our commitment to scaling one of the world’s most advanced solar cell technologies in the United States,” said Colin Parkin, CEO of Canadian Solar. “HJT technology is critical for the next generation of high-efficiency, high-performance solar modules, and this plant gives CS PowerTech the ability to deliver leading technology, improved energy yield, and long-term value for customers while strengthening domestic advanced manufacturing.”
Parkin explained the facility will take photons from the sun and process them into electrical energy, which will be used to power homes and communities. The cells will then be processed into solar panels in a Texas facility. Canadian Solar’s technology, he said, is used by a variety of different customers, from residential homeowners to commercial and industrial users.
The Jeffersonville site is the first U.S. facility designed to produce this specific type of solar cell, company officials said.
As the U.S. continues to look for ways to bolster its domestic energy supply, company leaders and politicians including Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, see the plant as a key leader to strengthen the nations supply chain resilience and energy dominance.
“CS PowerTech’s investment strengthens Indiana’s position in advanced manufacturing, creates good-paying jobs for Hoosiers in the area, and reinforces our role in building the technologies that will continue to power America’s future,” Braun said.
The facility is expected to support 1,200 jobs in Southern Indiana and represents a nearly $1 billion local investment, the company said in a July 24 news release. At full capacity, the facility is expected to produce 6 GWp annually.
Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich said advanced manufacturing builds part of the community.
“That’s what so exciting for me being the secretary of commerce is when you get to meet folks like this that really understand that it’s a two-way partnership and we’re going to be good neighbors, we’re going to help the community,” he said. “It’s just real exciting, and that’s what Indiana’s about.”
Over the next few months, the facility will scale production up to full capacity for its Phase I work before beginning work on a Phase II expansion, expected to start before the end of 2026.
“Jeffersonville is a cornerstone of our strategy to build one of North America’s most advanced energy manufacturing supply chains,” said Rusty Schmit, president of CS PowerTech Inc. “We are proud to invest in Indiana’s workforce and work with regional partners to build a long-term center of excellence for solar technology and advanced manufacturing.”
Parkin said the facility, built in response to increasing demand for electricity and new generation, will help the community by creating jobs as well as reducing the reliance on fossil fuel technology.
“Solar energy is now the fastest deployable, cheapest source of energy generation there is. That translates into building local capacity for the local rate payers, which should translate into lower costs,” Parkin said.
Canadian Solar is no newcomer to the Greater Louisville Metro.
In 2024, the company announced it would locate a $712 million battery plant in Shelbyville to create utility-scale energy storage containers, The Courier Journal first reported.
From 2024: EXCLUSIVE: Shelby County to get $700M battery facility, largest project in county history
The River Ridge Commerce Center, situated along Highway 62 in Clark County is a sprawling business and industrial park that reported a record year for private investment in 2025, The Courier Journal previously reported.
Located on about 6,000 acres in both Charlestown and Jeffersonville, Indiana, the park was originally farmland and residences. In 1940, the site was bought by the federal government and became the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant, which made munitions for World War II and later the Korean and Vietnam wars.
After the plant closed in 1992, a large portion of the plant became what’s now Charlestown State Park while much of the rest became what is now the commerce center.
Today, much of the site has been redeveloped, with about 50-60 unique property owners.  
More: As Meta data center nears completion, what’s ahead for River Ridge?
There are currently more than 70 companies located in the center, including e-commerce and logistics giant, Amazon; engineering, repair and logistics company CTDI; supply chain company, Tellworks; describe, Valeris, and health services innovation company, Optum. Soon, Meta will open a massive data center at the River Ridge Commerce Center.
Executive Director Marc Hildenbrand, who has been with River Ridge Commerce Center since 2009, said “it’s taken a lot of work” to be able to have a company like CS PowerTech.
“On the Charlestown end of River Ridge, we have thousands of structures that were there that were just left after the [U.S. Army] stopped operations. To see them go away and then putting in new roads with utilities and now getting developments in, it’s really been unbelievable,” he said. “When I started here, I would not have ever believed that we would be at this point this early.”
Contact Business Reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@usatodayco.com or on X at @oliviamevans_.

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