Solar frame producer Origami Solar has partnered with industrial manufacturing services company Unimacts to establish a frame roll-forming manufacturing line in Houston, Texas.
With the establishment of this facility in Texas, it will allow Origami Solar to produce steel frames domestically in the US in 2025.
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Unimacts was among one of three US steel producers for which Origami Solar secured a production deal for US-made steel module frames, earlier this year. This partnership with Unimacts, Welser Profile and Priefert would enable Origami Solar to ship steel solar module frames to US customers in the first quarter of 2025.
The production of a 100% domestic supply chain would allow companies to claim at least 5-7% of domestic content, under the Inflation Reduction Act’s investment tax credits (ITC), according to Origami Solar.
The company aims to keep scaling up its US-based supply chain of steel module frames, while the Houston facility will expand to support multiple roll-forming lines to handle flexible short runs as well as high-speed fully-automated volume production as Origami’s business grows.
“Origami Solar’s partnership with Unimacts reinforces our commitment to creating a durable, decarbonised, and domestic supply chain for steel module frames with best-in-class roll-forming partners,” said Gregg Patterson, CEO of Origami Solar.
Moreover, due to its location in the US state of Texas, where many companies have established module capacity, Origami Solar will be able to meet customer demand and avoid any risks associated with international supply chains, said Patterson.
Strong presence of module manufacturing capacity in Texas
Among the solar manufacturers present in Texas are battery manufacturer Freyr Battery, which recently acquired TrinaSolar’s 5GW module assembly plant in Wilmer. Other solar manufacturers with module capacity in Texas either operational or in construction are Canadian Solar – which will have 5GW of annual nameplate capacity by the end of 2024 – SEG Solar – with 2GW annual nameplate capacity – or more recently Toyo, which acquired a 2.5GW module assembly plant in Houston and aims to begin production in mid-2025.
“The Houston location is in close proximity to a growing number of Texas-based module manufacturers. It will ensure that they can increase domestic content and meet customer demand without the risks associated with long international supply chains.”
Furthermore, Unimacts continues to expand its domestic-steel production for the solar industry. Last year the company partnered with solar tracker supplier Nextracker to produce steel torque tubes in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both companies expanded their collaboration earlier this year with a second manufacturing line in Nevada, this time in Sloan. Both lines have a combined annual production capacity of more than 2GW.
