The Dow Chemical Company has started construction on its new manufacturing facility for production of Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles at the company’s Michigan Operations site in Midland.

The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle was named one of the 50 Best Inventions of 2009 by Time magazine, shortly after it was introduced as a prototype by Dow, as the first in a portfolio of building-related solar energy generating products.  Designed as a roofing product that protects a home, it also produces clean power from built-in solar cells. Similar in hue to traditional asphalt shingles, the solar shingle – at an individual size of about 12 by 86 inches of surface area – blends in surprisingly well with deep, dark-colored roofing materials.

Thea $249 million photovoltaic plant, designed to manufacture residential solar shingles, will be built with $141 million in various state, federal, and local incentives. The facility is expected to roll out its first Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles in late 2012.

Dow will continue to ramp up production until it reaches 220 megawatts (MW) of annual solar shingle capacity by 2015. Until the new facility is operational, a limited quantity of Powerhouse Solar Shingles will be manufactured at the existing pilot plant in Midland. These quantities will be used to support the product commercialization launch, currently scheduled for 4Q 2011 in targeted U.S. markets.

The company also is expected to create 1,275 direct jobs within in the same timeframe. The first wave of jobs was announced in September 2010, with the majority of these positions having already been filled to support the limited production needed for the late 2011 commercialization launch. Initial job creation associated with the facility will include full-time positions in support of manufacturing scale-up, and will involve parts fabrication, assembly, and packaging. The project will also create up to 300 full-time construction-related jobs in the coming months.

“This new facility will increase production capacities of the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle and create advanced manufacturing jobs that are helping to make Michigan a ‘green tech’ hub of the new U.S. economy,” said Earl Shipp, Dow Vice President for Michigan Operations. “We’re excited to add these jobs to our Michigan Operations facility and to contribute to the local Great Lakes Bay Region economic base.”

According to Shipp, the success in bringing this manufacturing facility to the region is the result of continued collaboration among Dow, the State of Michigan, and the City of Midland.

 “This is further evidence of Dow’s commitment to invest in new energy solutions and it really advances the growth of the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle business,” said Jane Palmieri, Dow Solar vice president. “I am especially proud that our Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles will be manufactured here in Michigan, as ‘Made in the USA’ is another attribute that today’s consumers value.”

In 2010, Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chief executive officer, called the solar shingle a “game-changer” that will address an estimated $5 billion market by 2015.

Dow officials have yet to say how much each shingle will cost, but the estimated cost for a Michigan homeowner – with tax credits – to install solar shingles and an energy converter box is about $11,200

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