US faces imbalance of domestic module capacity versus cells, says CEA

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The current cell capacity announced in the US would not be sufficient to supply the more than 150GW of module capacity by 2027. Image: Niels van Loon.

Domestic supply of solar cells in the US will be insufficient to keep pace with module manufacturing expansion plans announced since the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act was passed, according to advisory body, Clean Energy Associates (CEA).

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

In a guest article published today on PV Tech, Martin Meyers, principal consultant, market intelligence at CEA wrote that the lower capacity additions from cells compared to modules means “many US module assembly facilities will depend on imported cells”.

With a large majority of global cell processing capacity located in Asia, procurement of cells will have similar constraints seen up until now with modules, limiting the available supply due to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which came into force in June 2022 or the anti-dumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) with tariffs suspended until July 2024, under US president Joe Biden’s two-year waiver.

Further up in the upstream manufacturing, the problem will also arise for ingots and wafers as domestic cell capacity additions far exceed US ingots/wafers capacity additions, wrote Meyers.

“Hence US cell-processing facilities will depend on wafer imports – and with ingot/wafer capacity even more concentrated in Asia than cell/module capacity, the constraints impacting module and cell imports will impact wafer imports as well. In short, notwithstanding the announcements of US PV manufacturing capacity additions, the US market will depend on imports of modules, cells and/or wafers for years to come.”

To read the full post, visit our Guest Blog section.

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.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth 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 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
October 7, 2025
Doral Renewables has secured a PPA with an unnamed 'corporate buyer' for its 430MW Cold Creek solar-plus-storage project in Texas.
October 7, 2025
US independent power producer (IPP) Arevon has begun operations at two utility-scale solar projects in Indiana.
Premium
October 6, 2025
Talon PV aims to be the first US company to safely manufacture TOPCon cells at scale, backed by European technology and a crucial First Solar licensing deal.
October 6, 2025
US utility AES Corporation is reportedly in discussions to be acquired by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a subsidiary of global asset owning giant BlackRock.
October 3, 2025
Renewables developer Madison Energy Infrastructure has bought the US distributed generation assets of NextEra Energy Resources.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland