COPEMISH ? Contractors Building Supply, which has been a provider of energy efficient windows and wind turbines for years, now has gone into the solar-panel business in a big way. On Oct. 3 CBS will host a ribbon cutting on its 15,000 square foot manufacturing plant in this Northwest Michigan community that will assemble solar panels as a joint venture partner for Indian-based Sonali Solar.

?We have put together a joint venture to become the manufacturing arm of Sonali in the United States,? said CBS President Allan O?Shea. ?About half of the content will be Michigan-made and all the work will be done by Michigan residents.?

O?Shea said five employees already work at the production facility and he hopes that total will top 20 by next year. Over the next three years, CBS Solar? employment could top 50, he said.

CBS looked for a strong partner and found one in Sonali, a global company with customers in the United States, Asia-Pacific and European markets. The company?s U.S. headquarters is in New Jersey and it operates a major manufacturing plant in India.

O?Shea said he spent 14 months putting the deal together.

?Michigan has lost all of its solar manufacturers,? he said. ?Now Michigan is manufacturing solar panels again.?

During phase I, CBS Solar has the capacity to build 8 to 10 megawatts of solar panels. Each megawatt equals 10,000 roughly 3-foot by 6 foot solar panels. He said 20 panels would supply 70 to 80 percent of the electrical power of the typical Michigan home.

?We can build and install solar products for residential facilities on a roof for about $3 a watt,? he said. ?So five kilowatts would cost about $15,000. Then the homeowner would get a 30 percent federal tax credit, giving them $4,500 in the first year. If you finance the project, you wouldn?t use any of your own money for the first three years. Typically the payback for a residential installation is about 10 years.?

Commercial customers get an even better deal, he said. Businesses can take a tax depreciation of 50 percent of the cost in the first year.

Both residential and commercial customers can also take the Michigan Renewable Energy Tax Credit, that generates a further 10 percent reduction.

For more information, click on CBSSolar.Com