The solar industry recently welcomed the largest silicon outfit for solar cells to ever open its doors in the United States-De 3-GW factory by Es Foundry in Greenwood, South Carolina.
There have been many announcements by companies that want to start the production of solar cells in the United States, but very few have made real progress since the production of tax credits were first included in the 2022 inflation reduction law. Only one company started before the end of The cell activities 2024 – Suniva in Norcross, Georgia. That factory had an easier start than others, since the site had been making silicon solar cells for almost 10 years before they were closed in 2017. Suniva updated equipment and is again delivery American panel assembly plants with American perc sun cells.
Es Foundry in South Carolina. Credit: Solar Power World
Now the country has its second cell factory and the largest. ES Foundry not only produces more cells than Suniva (3 GW compared to Sunivas 1 GW), but it is also approaching the supply agreements. While Suniva has gone the common route to initiate delivery agreements with American panelassemblagers, ES Foundry works instead with large -scale project developers and utilities to guarantee domestic content. If a project in America needs panels, ES Foundry will donate a three-way contract with the developer and their preferred module supplier. Although the partners were not publicly unveiled, ES Foundry has already signed one of those three -way contracts in one Multi-Gigawatt Supply Agreement.
At the Es Foundry ribbon last week, domestic panel manufacturers, project developers and utility companies were present, would like to see the scale on which ES Foundry will operate shortly – the product now rolls off the lines and the company is expected to reach 1 GW of production capacity by March and Then 3 GW by August. Every amount of domestic cells is a hot commodity, Es Foundry CEO Alex Zhu Solar Power World During the event.
“Domestic content is the key,” he said. “Everyone needs the ITC, [especially] If it has changed that you need domestic cells. “
Es Foundry in South Carolina. Credit: Solar Power World
There are many questions about the support of President Trump to the inflation reduction law and the provisions that support the domestic use and production of solar energy. An assumption is that the investment tax credit (ITC) will be updated to require the domestic content to receive the full credit amount. And at the moment the easiest way is for solar panels to qualify as ‘domestic’ by using American cells.
ES Foundry makes bifacial perc cells, a logical choice to prevent the unpredictable future of the production of Topcon in the United States. The cells start for the first time as gray silicon waffles and go through many steps on their seven-hour trip to end product things such as diffusion, etching, oxidation, rear passivation, plasma improved chemical vapor setting and screen prints. The “diffusion” step is probably the most important thing, because that is when the dope paths (P and N-type processes) are determined. Only when the diffusion step is done on American soil can a solar cell be considered domestic and qualify for benefits for domestic content.
Zhu said that although the 4 ¢/w 45x production credit is a nice bonus for solar cell makers, Es Foundry is more concerned with the satisfaction of the domestic content requirements for its end customers. That domestic content game is what Es Foundry will keep going, while President Trump’s agenda has been smoothed out.
SPW visits the plant
Es Foundry in South Carolina. Credit: Solar Power World
The first to be noted when approaching the ES Foundry building is the scale – the factory is large with gas sacrifices that come from its sides. The “foundry” is located in a former building that is used by Fujifilm to make inkjet paper and other photo products. Zhu said that the highlight of the Fujifilm building first went to space, because there are not many existing 70-FT long production locations in America. Fujifilm occupies five stories from the building; Es Foundry spread four stories to make a large open space for chemical pipes and production equipment. The length of the building may be possible to collect and weaken Silicon Ingot in the future, if financial aspects are useful, Zhu said. It would be unique to have a site ready to go and not to rely on a green construction.
The difference between a panel assembly and a cell manufacturer is immediately visible. Manufacturers of solar panels assemble cells, rear leaves, connection boxes and frames. Celf manufacturers are more chemically oriented and rely on clean operation. Before they enter the factory, employees (and visitors) must attract protective equipment from head to toe and walk through an air bath to remove contaminants in the air. Zhu said that Es Foundry is able to find most chemicals used in production – phosphorus, silicon nitrate, etc. – in the United States, while the waffles, silver pasta and aluminum pasta come from Southeast Asia of course.
Es Foundry in South Carolina. Credit: Solar Power World
In addition to finding a building that was the right height and equipped with considerable electricity and waste water connections, ES Foundry was lucky that the local Greenwood staff was already familiar with chemical processing. Ascend, a nylon polymer and fiber manufacturer just further down the street, recently announced that it was that close its doors. Es Foundry has already hired many former Ascend employees and has more job fairs locally. The construction of the interior of Es Foundry only lasted eight months and 125 employees are now on the payroll. The company expects to have 300 employees and 500 against Q3 at the end of March, making Es Foundry one of the largest employers in Greenwood.
This can be the year for more manufacturers of solar cells to come online in the United States. Qcells is close to opening his wafer cell panel activities in Georgia and Silfab is still hopeful to start with cell production in South Carolina. Other companies such as Boviet Solar (North Carolina) and Canadian Solar (Indiana) can start with silicon cell activities within the next 18 months. They will become a member of Suniva and Es Foundry in the revitalization of the American solar industry – and not a minute early.
“The future starts now,” said Zhu, while Es Foundry -Executives officially cut the ribbon on the largest production factory of solar cells in the country.