NC Governor Roy Cooper highlights clean energy manufacturing and training with Greensboro visit

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper was in Greensboro this week to highlight clean energy jobs in the Piedmont. He toured lithium metal battery startup Soelect Incorporated and learned more about its plans to launch a new program to train technicians.

On Tuesday, Cooper called the state the epicenter of clean energy, and he described Soelect as one of the companies that makes it so. Founded in 2018 by South Korean engineer, and former North Carolina A&T State University professor Jin Cho, the battery component developer has since raised roughly $13 million in local venture capital and chose to build its facility in Greensboro.

Governor Cooper says the location came as no surprise.

"North Carolina has the greatest array of public and private universities in the entire country," says Cooper. "You’ve got local investors who are willing to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to take a chance on this company that we believe can make it.’ You’ve got the best community college systems in the entire country right here."

On September 1, Soelect rolled out its workforce development program: the Carolina Battery Institute with the goal of having future employees come from this region. The company plans to collaborate with Forsyth Technical Community College and others to train students in advanced battery manufacturing.

Soelect Director of Engineering John Lee says the results of their new technology will be transformative.

"Imagine being able to charge your rechargeable vehicle in 15 minutes, and instead of having 400 miles, having 800 miles on that charge," he says. "These are the kind of cutting-edge technologies that we’re developing here at Soelect."

The company’s goal is to build the largest lithium metal plant in North America, employing more than 200 workers from the community.