A Washington-based solar energy company will soon start manufacturing a portion of its solar panels in Minneapolis.
 
Itek Energy announced this week that it plans to open a photovoltaic solar panel manufacturing facility and have output by early 2015.
 
The Star Tribune reports that the plant will move into an existing building on the 2700 block of 31st Avenue South near the border of Minneapolis’ Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods.
 
According to the paper, the deal is privately financed, but the sum was not disclosed. The facility will only start with a few workers and continue to grow. Most of the work done at the factory will be finishing work: Laminated solar cells will be shipped from Washington and the Minneapolis facility will add frames and electronic components.
 
Itek joins two other firms, Washington-based Silicon Energy with a site in Mountain Iron and TenKsolar based in Bloomington, that have opened plants here opened manufacturing facilities in the state to take advantage of rebates.
 
The rebate, called the Made in Minnesota Program, is offered for panels manufactured in the state. As much as 25 percent of the system installation costs–up to $2,500 for residential, $5,000 for multifamily homes and $25,000 for commercial systems–can be refunded.