Flexible module manufacturer Bila Solar to open 1GW Indiana PV production plant

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A view of the factory building in Indianapolis. Image: Bila Solar

Newly launched solar manufacturer Bila Solar has revealed plans to build a 1GW PV module production facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The company will make flexible, glassless, PERC (passivated emitter rear contact) silicon modules, which it said will begin to roll off its production line in summer 2024.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Bila said that the 1GW facility will also house its new US headquarters over 150,000 square feet in downtown Indianapolis, representing over US$35 million in investment from the company.

Mick McDaniel, VP & US general manager at Bila, said: “We’re bringing to the US market ultralight modules that go where traditional solar panels can’t go. In Indianapolis, we found a central urban location, a diverse workforce and an entrepreneurial spirit – ideal for our out-of-the-box approach to making clean energy attainable for all.”

The company claims that its glassless modules are 70% lighter and 95% slimmer than traditional solar panels, and use “specially designed and patented aerospace composites”. Flexible and lightweight solar products are designed to open up solar to a more diverse range of deployments, including low load-bearing rooves, waterproof rooves and integration into vehicles and buildings.

Bila currently has a 1GW manufacturing plant in Singapore and has deployed around 500MW of its products to date. It was founded by Dr. Zhengrong Shi, who also founded solar manufacturer Suntech Power.

Rooftop and distributed solar deployments – the type which might be served by flexible panels – are on the rise globally.

Similar products exist on the market already; Nasdaq-listed Ascent Solar makes thin-film, flexible solar panels using a roll-to-roll manufacturing method that deposits Copper-Indium-Gallium-Selenide technology onto a substrate.

Bila Solar’s use of PERC half-cells departs from the thin-film technology that might be expected in lightweight and flexible products. On its website, the company says that it layers half-cut PERC cells between layers of polymer laminates and that the resulting panels are more durable than other flexible modules and of comparable efficiencies to traditional products.

The spec sheet for its debut 520W module claims a 19.3% conversion efficiency.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.

Read Next

May 30, 2025
Tasmania’s George Town council approved plans for a 288MW solar PV power plant this week, which is being pursued in Australia by German renewable energy developer ib vogt.
May 29, 2025
The German government is seeking 2.2GW of ground-mounted solar capacity in the most recent round of its public renewable energy tender scheme.
May 29, 2025
Beleaguered Swiss solar manufacturer Meyer Burger has reportedly laid off an unconfirmed number of employees at its US module manufacturing facility.
May 28, 2025
Arevon Energy has finalised US$98 million in tax equity financing for a 265MW portfolio currently under construction in Indiana.
May 28, 2025
ISC Konstanz is working with US solar cell manufacturer Suniva on its 1GW silicon solar cell production facility in the state of Georgia.
Sponsored
May 28, 2025
Ben Willis speaks to Astronergy about its next-generation TOPCon offering and the advantages of its zero-busbar module design, both of which were on show at Intersolar 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 8, 2025
Asia