The U.S. is gearing up for production of the only domestically-made polysilicon wafer and cellsolar module, set to boost the country’s solar industry in a landmark deal that aims to support the domestic solar supply chain and enhance the country’s energy independence.
U.S. Solar Partnership
Materials science company Corning Incorporated signed anagreementwith Suniva, a U.S.-based solar cell manufacturer, and Heliene Inc., a leading solar PV module producer.
The deal covers the delivery of the first solar module made entirely from American-manufactured polysilicon, wafers, and cells. Suniva’s President Matt Card highlighted its significance in strengthening domestic manufacturing.
Company Roles
As Corning is the majority owner of Hemlock Semiconductor, the company will be in charge of supplying hyper-pure polysilicon and wafers from Michigan.
Suniva’s role is the manufacturing of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells in Georgia, and Heliene will be assembling the finalsolarmodules.
Partners
Corning is a global leader in materials science with a 170-year-long history of innovation. Suniva, founded in 2007, is the oldest U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells.
Heliene is a rapidly growing solar module producer established in 2010 and known for its high-performance products in North America.
Benefits
Qualifying for the Investment Tax Credit domestic content bonus, providing financial benefits to developers, the result of this partnership is a product with up to 66% domestic content—the highest on the market.
AB Ghosh, Corning’s Vice President and CEO of Hemlock, emphasized the partnership’s role in securing the U.S. energy supply chain. Heliene’s CEO Martin Pochtaruk added that it’s a major step forward for the U.S. solar industry and job creation.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/DC Studio
