The solar-panel maker SolarWorld announced a plan Monday for a $27 million upgrade to its Hillsboro plant.

Technological advancements will boost the power output of the company’s solar panels by 5 to 10 percent.

Ben Santarris is a spokesman for SolarWorld. He says details about the upgrades are being withheld for competitive reasons.

Santarris said, “The output of a module is the basis of competition in the industry. It vastly helps the end user who is getting more power from the same size module. It is very much the race to get a higher efficiency in terms of producing electricity so we can be more competitive with other forms of fuel.”

SolarWorld currently produces solar panels that produce 255 watts each. Santarris said SolarWorld prices its panels based on power output, so the company will be able to charge more for its new panels.

The plant upgrades are scheduled to be complete by early next year. They will not not interrupt the current production schedule.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.