AQT Solar announced yesterday its plan to expand its thin-film solar cell manufacturing to a new plant in South Carolina.

AQT is one among several solar companies that got its start in California and, having outgrown its facility there, is expanding into another state with incentives for new manufacturing business and typically a lower cost of living and lower average salary than California.

AQT’s news follows closely on the heels of Stion Solar’s announcement last week that it would open a new manufacturing plant in Mississippi.

AQT Solar specializes in manufacturing low-cost CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-diselenide) thin-film solar cells, according to a press release from the company.

The company opened its Sunnyvale, Calif., plant in August, 2010 and is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 30 to 40 megawatts of thin-film solar cells annually by the end of this year, according to the release.

The company has orders for more than 160 megawatts of thin-film solar cells, according to its media release, which means the plant in South Carolina will be key if the company is going to meet demand.

Businesses and large-scale projects have turned to AQT Solar, said media representative Miranda Coykendall. Among the companies buying AQT Solar’s cells are luxury resorts in Mexico.

AQT Solar will move production into an existing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certified facility in Richland County, S.C., and is expected to add 60 new employees there. Over the company’s four-year expansion plan at the new plant, it expects to hire on more than 1,000 new employees, according to the press release.

South Carolina’s strong market for clean energy and favorable business climate made it an attractive choice for AQT to locate its second facility, according to the release. The large number of universities and technical colleges in the region provide a trained labor force required to fill the jobs that the facility will require.

“AQT Solar has achieved significant growth in a short period of time, and we are excited to work with the state of South Carolina as we begin this next phase of our company’s development,” said Michael Bartholomeusz, CEO, AQT Solar.

Image courtesy of AQT Solar.