Seal Beach-based solar panel maker Amonix Inc. plans to build a $20 million factory in the Las Vegas area.
Amonix plans to employ about 280 workers at the plant, which is set to make photovoltaic solar panels, like those used to power satellites by converting sunlight into electricity.
A specific site for the plant hasn’t been selected, according to an Associated Press report.
Amonix is looking at three buildings in the Las Vegas area, all more than 150,000 square feet.
The company plans to use part of a $9.5 million in investment tax credits this year from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to set up the plant.
Amonix also is seeking tax breaks from Nevada.
The company designs and makes solar power panels that are used to generate energy by operating in sunny, dry climates.
Because of their size, the panels typically are used in deserts, including by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Amonix is one of Orange County’s most funded companies.
In April, the company raised $129 million in a second funding round led by Menlo Park-based Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, which is known for alternative energy investments and counts former Vice President Al Gore as a partner.
Other participants included Adams Street Partners, Angeleno Group, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund, Vedanta Capital LP, New Silk Route, The Westly Group and current investor MissionPoint Capital Partners.
In all, Amonix has raised nearly $200 million from private and government sources.
Amonix was started in 1989 in Torrance. It moved its headquarters to Seal Beach last year, where it has a 75,000-square-foot factory. It also has a research and development center in Torrance.
