First solar panel manufacturer in Virginia to open in Bedford County

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — The first Virginian solar panel manufacturer is set to open in Bedford County, bringing new life to a long-vacant facility.

The new Solarix plant, located in Forest off Perrowville Road, occupies the former Teva Pharmaceutical facility, which has been empty for three years. The site, nearly half a million square feet, is currently undergoing significant electrical upgrades in preparation for the project.

Carlos Class, CEO of Solarix, emphasized the company's commitment to local employment and community involvement.

"We are looking to employ people from the state, from our local universities. We have intern positions that will be opening as well," said Class.

Within the next 90 days, Solarix plans to have two of its main manufacturing areas completely cleaned up to make room for advanced manufacturing equipment. The $63 million project will then focus on further upgrades to the facility.

Solarix will offer 104 new jobs at the site. Class explained the hiring strategy, noting that technical positions requiring more training will be filled first, followed by administrative and office roles closer to the start of production.

"We are gonna be looking at the technical jobs that require a little more training to hire them beforehand, and more administrative jobs, more office jobs, or backend office jobs will be closer to the production," said Class.

The site is expected to be fully operational by the last three months of 2025. Solarix aims to establish strong partnerships within the community as part of its long-term goals.