With the opening of Amonix, Inc.’s new manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas, the company will start producing its IMAX-sized Amonix 7700 concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems and will eventually produce 150 megawatts of the systems annually. Each system produces 60 kilowatts of electricity.

The May 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), among others.

“This is exactly the kind of project we’ve envisioned to get Nevada to its goal of generating 25 percent of its power from renewable sources and efficiency improvements by 2025,” Sandoval said in a press release. “The facility’s construction and operation have created renewable energy jobs.”

Amonix will employ 278 people at the 214,000 square foot facility, which is being partially powered by a 7700 system, said CEO Brian Robertson.

“Amonix expanded its manufacturing capacity to meet increasing market demand. As demand for Amonix CPV systems continues to grow, Amonix has the ability to further expand manufacturing capacity and scale-up rapidly,” Robertson said.

The speed at which the company brought the facility online testifies to the company’s ability to scale rapidly. Amonix signed the lease last July, and the company broke ground on the project in late October.

The project cost nearly $18 million to develop, according to a press release.

“The facility will bring $560 million of overall economic impact to Southern Nevada in the next five years, according to the Nevada Development Authority. The nearly $18 million project was financed with a $5.9 million investment tax credit from the Recovery Act awarded to Amonix in 2010 and another $12 million in private capital,” the company stated.

Amonix chose the location not only for Nevada’s increasingly pro-solar attitude, but also for its climate and location.

“The North Las Vegas facility is ideally situated in the heart of our target states and serves as a hub for shipments to installation sites in Nevada and neighboring states,” Robertson said. “The Amonix CPV solar systems are best suited for sunny and dry climates like Nevada.”

Pictured: Sarah Moffet, Senator Harry Reid staff member; North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck; Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval; Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley; David Pool, Flextronics employee, Vahan Garboushian, Amonix Founder/CTO/Chairman of the Board; Tom Fair, vice president at NV Energy; EC Sykes, President of Flextronics; and Brian Robertson, Amonix CEO.