Silfab Solar, a Toronto-headquartered solar cell and module manufacturer, announced it is investing $150 million in a cell manufacturing site in the United States. The York County, South Carolina facility is a 785,000 square foot site that is expected to host over 850 jobs.
The annual production capacity will include 1 GW of cell production and 1.2 GW of additional module production capacity. Operations are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024, adding critical cell production capacity, a current bottleneck in the U.S. solar supply chain.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project and awarded a $2 million Set-Aside grant to York County to assist with the costs of building improvements.
“Silfab Solar selecting York County for a project that requires a highly skilled workforce shows that our workforce development investments are paying off in a big way. Our people are South Carolina’s greatest resource, and we are confident they will help Silfab Solar thrive in its latest venture,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
The company also recently signed a major supply agreement with Norwegian ingot and wafer producer NorSun. Silfab will purchase solar wafers for cell production from NorSun’s planned 5 GW ingot and wafer production facility in the U.S.
New modules
Silfab debuted several new module products at the RE+ conference in Las Vegas. The residential and commercial TOPCon modules will be available starting in Q1 2024.
TOPCon is another milestone in Silfab’s ongoing commitment to innovation and technological advancements to meet growing demand for high-quality, made-in-America PV solar,” said Paolo Maccario, Silfab President and CEO. “Silfab continues to make significant investments in people, facilities, processes, materials and technology that ensure the North American solar industry has an ethically sourced and reliable U.S. solar module partner.”
Image: Silfab Solar
The TOPCon lineup offers increased power output, higher efficiency in low light conditions, and consistent performance in high temperatures. The company’s new NTC line comes with a 25-year product and 30-year linear performance warranty. The Prime NTC edition builds on the company’s residential modules, featuring a sleek black-on-black look for rooftop installations.
Silfab also announced it will launch the next generation Silfab Elite 430 BG+ in early 2024. Elite is Silfab’s most advanced and highest efficiency panel, utilizing proprietary X-Cell design and back contact integrated cell design for improved performance and durability.
Currently, the module is offered as Silfab Elite SIL 410 and 420. Available in the first quarter of 2024, the Silfab SIL 430 BG+ will include additional half-cell features.
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