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27 <br />DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLAR CLUSTER IN ORANGE COUNTY April 13, 2009 <br />Orange County Economic Development Commission <br />the economic development department. Having an available workforce, with a <br />specialized training program in place, is a great incentive for an interested company. <br />Siting <br />It is imperative to have an adequate supply of appropriate locations, with <br />particular emphasis on accessibility to transportation corridors, applicable zoning, <br />required infrastructures, and reasonable cost. Successful development of a cluster <br />requires a central location to support the interactions necessary for cluster development. <br />A cluster development will require foresight to locate the early facilities in an area that <br />can grow the cluster as more firms locate to the area. Identification of appropriate <br />locations and ensuring that the proper infrastructure is in place is vital for development of <br />the cluster <br />Communication <br />Community acceptance is a key component - a business will not locate in a place <br />they are not wanted. The message that Orange County is a key player in the solar <br />industry needs to be relayed to key stakeholders, including the public, government <br />officials, educators, and potential manufacturers and retailers. <br />Supply Chain <br />A more complete understanding of the solar energy supply chain is needed for <br />cluster development -including identification of existing supply chain firms <br />(manufacturing, construction, installation, research, finance, legal, REC brokering) to be <br />able to market these resources to future solar companies. Cultivating inter-industry <br />linkages between existing manufacturers and fledgling new businesses will further ensure <br />success of a cluster. <br />For EDC use only 21 <br />