Despite announcing plant startup delays last year, Wacker Polysilicon continues to update the timetable for its Tennessee plant's construction.

Five structures measuring more than 200 feet tall are now upright and in place at Wacker Polysilicon's Charleston, Tenn. site. 

The equipment, which performs a distillation process to produce the polycrystalline silicon, was trucked to the site last year along I-75, the company says. It is taller than any other building in Bradley County, according to Mike Pare in a Times Free Press article.

"This is a very visible stride in our progress: the first major milestone of 2013.  We are excited to see this equipment now in its permanent place," said Dr. Martin Richtberg, vice president of engineering and head of the Wacker construction project.  

Chattanooga is now home to the biggest solar installation in Tennessee and for a U.S. auto factory.

That's according to Volkswagen, which powered up its 9.5 MW solar park at the Chattanooga location last week.

The system will provide 12.5 percent of the already LEED Platinum-certified  plant's electricity. That jumps to 100 percent during non-production periods, according to the automaker.

The Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park occupies 33 acres, or half of the 66-acre land parcel adjacent to VW's state-of-the-art manufacturing plant. The solar park contains 33,600 solar modules from JA Solar designed to produce 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year -- equivalent to the energy consumed annually by around 1,200 homes in the area. 

The solar installation is part of VW's "Think Blue" initiative for all Volkswagen plants to achieve more efficient use of energy, materials and water and produce less waste and emissions, said Frank Fischer, CEO and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.

Earlier this month, Bonaroo representatives announced the installstion of the 50kw solar system

It's the first permanent solar array for a music festival, according to local firm Sustainable Future and Vermont-based Encore Redevelopment, both of whom worked on the install.

The system includes 196 panels mounted to the roof of a metal structure in the festival's back stage area.

Hemlock Semiconductor is nearing the end of the first phase of of its plant in Clarksville, Tenn., according to company officials.

The company hopes to begin production next year.

The $1.2 billion plant will employ 500 full-time workers when completed and produce close to 12,000 tons of polycrystalline silicon per year initially.

However, this is almost certainly not the end of the project. The plant site is designed for a potential four construction phases, which could turn into a $5 billion investment over time.

Black Bear Solar Institute, a Townsend-based nonprofit organization, has installed 24 vehicle charging stations in Blount County, reports Ed Marcum in the daily Knoxville News Sentinel.

Lisa Stewart, executive director of the organization, said it has installed 18 stations at businesses or organizations in Townsend and six in Maryville, and plans to install two at Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport. 

The group plans to install 12 more as part of its involvement in the U.S. Department of Energy's EV Project.

There is no cost to businesses for the installation, but Black Bear Solar will receive revenue from a planned hourly charging fee.

The organization also hopes to get businesses to sponsor solar electric arrays -- it wants to install up to 270 to sell power to TVA.

"The types of businesses that participated in the program (Solar Installation Grant) run the gamut," said Dr. John Sanseverino, TSI director of programs. "From mom-and-pop farms to large-scale manufacturers, companies lowered overhead costs by installing PV, allowing them to reinvest the savings back into their businesses."