SCHENECTADY — Another renewable energy company is preparing to set up shop locally — the second since GE Vernova announced plans to begin manufacturing onshore wind turbines at its downtown Schenectady campus last year.
California-based Pearce Renewables, an independent services provider for the rapidly growing renewable energy industry, will be leasing the top floor of 155 Erie Blvd., with plans to renovate the space and create 10 jobs locally.
The upgrades are expected to cost $190,000.
The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday approved a $75,000 grant and sales tax exemption to assist the company’s efforts in retrofitting the space, which is located inside an old firehouse that was converted to office building in recent years by Spraragen Partners, a Schenectady-based real estate firm.
“We are thrilled to open an office in downtown Schenectady and be part of such a great community,” Zack Dorman, senior vice president of Pearce Renewables, said in a statement. “An office in Schenectady County will help us attract and retain the highest-quality talent in the industry.”
Pearce Renewables provides repair, maintenance and engineering services for solar, wind, electric vehicle and energy storage systems, according to the company’s website. The company will provide services to GE Vernova once the renovations are complete, according to a Metroplex news release.
The move comes after GE Vernova announced last May it would be investing $50 million in its Schenectady plant to manufacture onshore wind turbines, creating 200 new jobs locally. The first wind turbine rolled off the assembly line back in November.
In October, Metroplex announced that Jupiter Bach, a Danish company that manufactures nacelle and spinner covers for wind turbines, agreed to lease 50,000 square feet of space at the Rotterdam Corporate Park. The company is expected to create 20 jobs that would grow to 100.
Livingston Energy Group, a Schenectady-based company focused on developing and installing electric vehicle charging stations, expanded its footprint to the Rotterdam Corporate Park last January, after it agreed to lease a 23,000-square-foot facility once occupied by the General Electric Co.
Schenectady County’s economic development team is in the process of trying to get other wind suppliers to relocate to Schenectady, according to the Metroplex release.
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