Tesla executives are hiring to support Musk’s solar expansion strategy
According to senior executives, Tesla is currently hiring to support Elon Musk’s recent announcement to become the largest U.S. producer of solar energy components.
The posts indicate that 'the company is implementing Musk's vision to set up 100 gigawatts domestic solar production. Musk announced this goal?last? month.
Seth Winger is Tesla's senior manager of solar product engineering. He wrote this in a LinkedIn post.
We need ambitious, audacious engineers and scientists who can help us scale up massively. Come join us if you want to solve manufacturing problems with breakneck speed, and help the US make breakthroughs in renewable energy generation.
The Tesla website posted a job for a Solar Manufacturing Development Engineer. It stated that the company's aim is to "deploy a 100GW solar manufacturing facility from raw materials in the United States before the end 2028."
Musk hadn't previously announced a timetable for this goal, or plans to increase hiring.
Tesla officials and Musk didn't immediately respond to comments.
Tesla's Director of Engineering Ralf Gomme?and Bonne Egleston, a Vice President overseeing the battery cell manufacturing posted about Tesla's solar hiring plans this week.
The recent hiring calls are the latest indication that Tesla has turned its attention to solar manufacturing at a moment when its EV sales have been flagging.
Local media in China reported this week that Musk's delegations visited a number of Chinese solar companies.
Musk has stated that batteries and solar are the best ways to add large amounts to electricity to the grid at a time when demand is soaring from data centers linked to the expansion artificial intelligence.
These views are in conflict with those of President Donald Trump's administration, where he was previously the head of Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has publicly criticized renewable energies as being expensive and inefficient. He has also signed legislation that has cut clean energy subsidies.
SOLAR IN SPACE
Musk also suggested that some of these solar panels could be placed in space. This would suggest potential synergies between his SpaceX company and Musk's business.
It would be an incredible feat to set up 100 GW solar manufacturing in America in just a few years.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the U.S. has 65 GW solar module capacity but only 3.2 GW solar cell capacity. The cells are the key components that convert sunlight into energy. They are more expensive and complex to manufacture. China dominates the production of these products.
The U.S. has seen a dramatic increase in solar production capacity thanks to the Biden-era tax incentives that were created for clean energy manufacturing. However, many of the announced factories never materialized. Existing producers also struggle to compete with cheaper imports from Asia.
Musk is well-known for his big promises and ambitious timelines. His forecasts are often wrong.
Jeff Osborne, TD Cowen's analyst, said that while Musk's long term forecasts are usually accurate in their direction, the near-term deadlines for many projects, particularly those involving new manufacturing eco-systems, have often been missed. "We view these targets in the U.S. Solar Supply Chain as aspired rather than probable? for the mid-term."
Musk has also promised that Teslas with driverless cars will arrive in the year following every promise he made since 2016. Musk predicted in July that Tesla robotaxis will serve "half of the U.S. population" by the end the year.
Tesla operates a limited robotaxi in Austin and has only recently removed the human safety monitors from some vehicles. Tesla's "Full Self Driving" (FSD), a service it offers vehicle owners, requires a human driver to be attentive.
Tesla has struggled in the past with solar manufacturing. In 2016, the company purchased a Buffalo, New York facility through its acquisition of installer SolarCity. At that time it said that it intended to ramp up production to 1 GW.
Tesla's manufacturing partner Panasonic left the project by 2020. The facility is now used to manufacture superchargers, in addition to the premium solar roof tiles that make up only a small portion of the company's business. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft; Nichola Groom)
(source: Reuters)
