Canadian PV manufacturer Heliene has signed an agreement with solar cell manufacturer Suniva to source cells from the latter’s manufacturing plant in the US.
Under the three-year contract, Heliene will incorporate Suniva’s US-made solar cells into its domestically-produced solar modules, with the products available on the market from mid-2024. Heliene claimed that its modules will be the first crystalline solar modules with US-made solar cells.
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Heliene added that this partnership will directly address the missing link between US-made cells and modules in the US solar supply chain and could help strengthen manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand for US domestic products.
Last October, Suniva restarted its manufacturing operations with up to 2.5GW of annual monocrystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing capacity in Georgia, US. Funding for the expansion was secured through a US$110 million financing commitment from infrastructure investment firm Orion Infrastructure Capital (OIC), while the Georgia-based manufacturer secured a multi-year supply agreement of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)-compliant wafers with an undisclosed company.
The company cited the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as a driver for the onshoring of domestic solar manufacturing, which would mark a comeback for Suniva after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 due to an influx of cheaper solar panels from Asia, undercutting domestic production.
| PV Tech publisher Solar Media will be organising the third edition of Large Scale Solar USA Summit in Austin, Texas 1-2 May. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) targeting US$369 billion for clean energy and US$40 billion for manufacturing, the solar industry has never been brighter. The IRA, securing financing for future projects or supply chain bottlenecks will be among the discussions at this year’s event. For more information, including how to attend, please check the official website. |