The expansion, sources said, will triple local manufacturing capacity and involve the addition of a new building.

Suniva, a Georgia Tech spinoff founded by Ajeet Rohatgi, makes high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells and modules. Suniva’s cells can convert about 20 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity, meaning fewer cells are needed to produce the same energy output. Conventional crystalline silicon solar cells average 15.5 percent to 16.5 percent efficiency.

The United States is the second-largest solar power market in the world, with California, alone, being the sixth largest.

Read more about the local impact here.