Suniva, a US solar cell manufacturer, invests $350 million to expand in South Carolina
Suniva, a U.S.-based solar manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it would invest $350 millions?into a South Carolina cellular factory. Production will begin in early 2027.
The new facility represents a significant expansion of the United States’ capacity to produce solar cells. These are?the building blocks that make up solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity.
Suniva stated that the project is scheduled to open during the second quarter 2027, and it will create over 550 new jobs.
Due to the new U.S. policy that prohibits Chinese factories from obtaining federal tax credits for clean energy, American-made solar panel components and their components are in high demand.
Suniva's Matt Card stated in an interview that "there is a shortage of solar cells in the U.S." "We have had a constant push by the market to produce more and more and more. This demand was so high, that it exceeded our capacity at our current facility."
Suniva of Atlanta was the first to restart commercial silicon-based solar cell production in the United States in 2024, after years of a halt due to the competition from cheap imports from Asia.
Suniva's manufacturing capability will increase dramatically with the Laurens County facility in South Carolina. Its current 1 GW capacity is expected to grow to 5.5GW when fully operational.
Card did not give any?specifics', but he said that a significant portion of the factory’s production through 2030 had been pre-sold.
Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the United States has 60 GW module capacity but only 3.2 GW total solar cell capability. Solar cells used to supply domestic module factories are mostly imported.
Other companies that are operating or planning to operate domestic cell capacity include the privately-held ES Foundry, Hanwha Corp.'s Qcells, T1 Energy, in Texas, and Canadian Solar, in Indiana. (Reporting and editing by Aurora Ellis; Nichola Groom)
(source: Reuters)
