February 3, 2025
Newly established Es Foundry Made his activities as a manufacturer of solar cells in the Untied States with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday 31 January in Greenwood, South Carolina. The company will become the largest producer of high -quality crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells in the United States.
Located on the Fujifilm campus in Greenwood County, produces the 400,000-Vierk-FT ES Foundry facility crystalline bifacial passivated emitter and rear contact (perc) solar cells. The facility emerged in about seven months until its first operations, currently employs 125 people and will produce 1 GW of solar cells per year. However, since the company implements its second phase, the facility will expand to 500 employees and produce 3 GW at Q3 2025.
Es Foundry CEO and founder Alex Zhu said he chose the Greenwood location because of the local production basis and the existing Fujifilm infrastructure. On January 15, Foundry announced its first GW+, multi-year contract with a “top-tier solar module manufacturer”, and Zhu expects to announce additional partnerships to deliver American module manufacturers in the coming weeks.
Zhu explained that the US made solar cells crucial for module manufacturers to take advantage of the tax credits for domestic content that has been established in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The most important thing when they talk about domestic content, especially with the new Safe Harbor laws, without the cell, it is impossible to get the tax credit for domestic content,” he said. “You should not only have the module, but you also need the cell.”
The majority of the supplies to make solar cells are silicon waffles, silver paste, aluminum paste and various chemicals and gases. Zhu said that Es Foundry all required chemicals and gases from the United States sources. However, the waffles are imported.
“There is no waffle production in the United States, so that comes from Southeast Asia,” said Zhu, who adds that the expected rates are likely to influence the production costs of Es Foundry. He explained that the waffle prices from Southeast Asia are already low without a margin to compensate for the rates.
Support for local jobs
Es Foundry is a blessing for local job seekers. With the company that wants to add hundreds of new employees this year, students from the local Technical University and former local chemical factory employees are being provided to adjust their skills to the solar industry.
“The strategic location of the facility in Greenwood emphasizes the dedication of ES Foundry to supporting local communities, generating high quality jobs and stimulating regional economic development,” Zhu added.
The new production facility of ES Foundry is an important milestone for the economy of South Carolina and the growing sun sector of the state. According to the Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association (CCEBA)The economic impact of the solar industry in South Carolina is expected to increase nearly four -time in 2035, with projections that demonstrate an increase in annual economic activity from $ 306.6 million in 2024 to almost $ 1.4 billion by 2035. Increase will support the establishment of 3,315 permanent jobs, and generate $ 260.9 million annually in the income of work income.
“To say that Greenwood, South Carolina, was chosen to be the home of what will soon become the largest American Pure Play solar manufacturer, is the ultimate testimony of the appeal of our community for investments in innovative and sustainable technologies,” James Bateman , Director of Economic Development, Greenwood County. “The speed with which Es Foundry has converted a legacy facility into cleanroom activities and scaled employment to deliver 1 GW production capacity is positive of a bright future, because the solar industry experiences exponential growth.”
By contributing to this growth through its state-of-the-art facility, ES Foundry will play a crucial role in helping the state to realize the cumulative economic impact of $ 19 billion for the solar industry by 2035. This will be the position of South Carolina as a leader in the production and innovation of clean energy.
Break the barrier
Zhu credit the IRA for offering support and incentives to build the ES Foundry facility in South Carolina. He wants to prove that the American production can “compete and win on a global scale.”
“We want to be an example,” said Zhu. “Sometimes you have to break the barrier and you have to believe in your people. We must love the old production style. ”
The ribbon cutting ceremony included a factory tour for attendees. The state-of-the-art facility uses a “clean room” environment, where employees wear protective clothing and come in via a “air shower” to remove contaminants. Part of the facility is deposited because ES Foundry actively expands the production options for phase two.
To make a solar cell, a rough wafer is taken through a multi -step process that includes cleaning and inspection, diffusion, lasertexturization, oxidation, coating and screen prints. The diffusion process makes the cell as a product made by the US.
This new factory plays a crucial role in promoting the objective of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) of 100 GW of renewable energy production capacity, including 50 GW of solar production by 2030.
“Today we are not only celebrating a factory, we forge a path to a more sustainable future for the security for America,” said Zhu. “Our advanced solar cells are designed and manufactured here in the United States, thereby guaranteeing reliability, efficiency and the possibility of maximizing financial incentives for our partners.”
The crystalline Bifacial Perc solar cells from ES Foundry are designed to meet the escalating demand for solar modules produced in their own country. In contrast to emerging technologies that are confronted with scalability and sustainability for challenges, perc cells offer a proven, cost-effective solution for developers and power owners, provincial stock providers and panel manufacturers. The company produces solar cells in its own country, so that its partners can unlock the benefits for extra investment tax (ITC) for domestic content.
“Seia congratulates ES Foundry for opening this new facility, which will play a crucial role in insuring the United States is the dominant global leader of solar energy,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Indies Association. “This facility is an example of how we combine a good policy with business innovation to deliver American employees, to support the local economy and to strengthen the energy security of our nation.”
Tags: household content, solar cells, supply chain