T1 Energy signed a deal to purchase Corning’s purified polysilicon and solar wafers produced at its Michigan manufacturing campus.
Starting in the second half of 2026, Corning wafers are expected to be delivered to T1’s solar cell facility in Austin, Texas. The solar cells produced at the Austin site will then be assembled as completed solar modules at T1’s Dallas site.
A fully domestic vertical-integration of the solar manufacturing supply chain is relatively rare, as bottlenecks in manufacturing capacity in certain stages of the chain persist. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) reports the United States has 25 GW of active polysilicon refinement capacity, 2 GW of cell capacity and 57.5 GW of module assembly capacity, and no polysilicon ingot capacity or wafer capacity.
However, some of the critically underserved legs of the supply chain are expected to ramp up capacity, with SEIA reporting 8.3 GW of ingot and wafer capacity under construction as well as 19.3 GW of cells and a further 15.3 GW of modules.
“The U.S. needs to establish critical energy supply chains built on domestic capacity and industrial knowhow,” said Daniel Barcelo, chief executive officer and board chair, T1 Energy. “Together with Corning, we intend to accelerate America’s ability to manufacture leading-edge solar solutions, support a total of nearly 6,000 American jobs, and promote American energy independence.”
Corning is investing $1.5 billion in its Saginaw County, Mich. polysilicon and wafer facility, adding an estimated 1,500 jobs.
T1 Energy announced an $850 million investment in its solar cell manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. The G2 Austin factory is expected to begin producing solar cells in the second half of 2026 and is planned to reach an annual output of 5 GW of cells per year. T1 Energy said the facility is expected to create up to 1,800 full-time jobs. T1 Energy said the site will produce advanced TOPCon solar cells.
T1 Energy launched as a rebrand of Freyr Battery, acquiring solar manufacturing assets from major global supplier Trina Solar for $340 million in late 2024. In early 2025, Freyr Battery scrapped plans for a $2.6 billion battery energy storage system factory in the state of Georgia, pivoted to solar manufacturing, and rebranded as T1 Energy.
The acquisition from Trina Solar included a 5 GW, 1.35 million-square-foot automated solar module manufacturing facility in Wilmer, Texas. In Q1, 2025, T1 Energy reported production of 443 MW of solar modules at the site, called G1 Dallas.
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