After REC Silicon closed shop and Qcells lost its domestic polysilicon supply, the country has been lacking a roadmap for a 100% American silicon solar panel. Today, a new path has been announced, with signed deals among Corning, Suniva and Heliene.
A 2000 archive photo from NREL.
Corning will make silicon wafers in Michigan using polysilicon from nearby Hemlock Semiconductor, of which Corning is the majority owner. The wafers will be sent to Suniva in Georgia where they will turn into cells. The cells will ship to Heliene’s assembly site in Minnesota to become fully formed solar panels.
“We are excited that this partnership brings a truly Made-in-America solution to the United States market,” said Matt Card, President of Suniva. “Together, our companies offer the only solar cell in the market that provides U.S. developers maximum ITC domestic content advantage while building a domestic supply chain that provides for American energy independence and a strong manufacturing base.”
This new Heliene module will contain a solar cell with up to 66% domestic content, Suniva claims, which more than meets domestic content bonus credit eligibility parameters for the investment tax credit (ITC).
“This partnership is a significant milestone for the U.S. solar industry,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. “By combining our strengths, we are able to deliver not only a high-performance module but also support the domestic economy and American job creation.”
No timeline was announced, although the Corning wafer site is still under construction. Qcells, which will now source its polysilicon from OCI in South Korea, is much further along in its wafer factory construction and intends to open the Georgia site sometime this year.
“Corning is excited to leverage our advanced manufacturing expertise to deliver top-quality solar components and secure the U.S. energy supply chain,” said AB Ghosh, Corning VP and General Manager of Solar Technologies, and Chairman and CEO of Hemlock Semiconductor.
