Canadian solar cell and module manufacturer Heliene has signed a multi-year steel frame PV module supply agreement with PV frame producer Origami Solar.
Starting from April 2025, buyers of Heliene’s 144 and 156 half-cut bifacial modules will be given the opportunity to use Origami’s US-made steel frames on top of the existing aluminium frame options.
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According to the companies, Origami’s steel frames offer an increased product resilience and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, while providing a cost reduced and scalable source of domestic steel frames.
PV Tech Premium recently spoke with Gregg Patterson, CEO at Origami Solar, about the advantages of steel frames compared to aluminium ones and how the former provide an advantage to solar projects with an extreme wind loading.
This supply agreement comes days after Origami Solar started production of domestic steel frames for PV modules at its production line in Arkansas. The company announced the start of production days after US president Donald Trump introduced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports earlier this month.
Outside of Arkansas, Origami has also established a frame roll-forming manufacturing line in Houston, Texas, a state with an increased presence of solar module manufacturers with the likes of Freyr, Canadian Solar, SEG Solar and Toyo either boasting operational capacity, or having announced module assembly plants.
“Integrating Origami’s steel frames into our 144 and 156 HC M10 SL modules enables Heliene to offer developers an affordable and sustainable domestic module,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. “This partnership aligns with our mission to strengthen the domestic solar supply chain while optimising product value and minimizing environmental impact.”
This is the latest supply agreement Heliene has made to secure a domestic supply chain in the US. In September 2024 the solar manufacturer signed a supply deal with recycling firm Solarcycle to buy recycled glass for use in the production of new modules. A month before, the company signed a 1GW US-made silicon wafer supply deal with Norwegian ingot and wafer manufacturer NorSun.
