Secretary of State Chris Huhne has welcomed last weeks decision by Sharp to increase their workforce: “This is excellent news for the solar industry and for Sharp, which shows that green growth is a vital part of our economic recovery. Since Feed In Tariffs began, the scheme has stimulated a market in solar panels which has seen around 19,000 installed to date.”

Europe’s largest solar panel manufacturer, Sharp, will create 300 new jobs at their solar panel factory in Wrexham, North Wales taking the total number of employees to 1,100.

A recent £20 million investment in the factory will help almost double the annual production capacity to 500MW per year by March 2011, enough to power 170,000 UK homes. An extra 3000 panels will be produced each day, ensuring Sharp’s position as the UK’s biggest renewable employer.