Comments on: Everyone wants to start a solar panel factory in the United States 2022 Trends in Solar

By: Kelly Pickerel

Kelly Pickerel — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 13:05:04 +0000

In reply to Solardude. Very true. Also there is a lot of First Solar's thin-film panel capacity included in the 8 GW estimate, which doesn't use the 2.5 GW silicon TRQ. And I didn't even include Tesla's "gigafactory" in Buffalo in the 8 GW estimate.

By: Solardude

Solardude — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 21:16:02 +0000

Odd though that with no cell capacity in the US, we only recently passed the 2.5 GW cell import mark. This means that no matter how high the nameplate capacity, we only produced 2.5 GW of modules in the US. Either super low utilization or some of that capacity isn’t real.

By: Jamey Johnston

Jamey Johnston — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 03:27:34 +0000

Since lots of people, throughout the world, will be moving in the next decade or two or three, like Bangladesh, wouldn’t it be wise to develop self reliant building systems that would include solar PV, residential automation, etc.

This could be the technological kernel of a Department of Sustainability…the US unofficial department of offense.

By: Solarman

Solarman — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 00:07:32 +0000

“Even though the Act has not yet passed, just the hint of manufacturing support led companies to announce their plans to make solar panels in the United States.”

The term “vertical integration” comes to mind. It has been said the supply chain for solar PV isn’t necessarily crystalline cells to build panels with, it is the silicon foundry needed to supply this amount of manufacturing. Perhaps it’s well past time to wait on the next Government program like BBB to come along. Perhaps it’s time to go all in, not only on the manufacturing line but the supply chain line and have a foundry for silicon that one can use not only for solar PV cells, but for supply chains to IC chip manufacturers in the U.S.. This country needs to work smarter not harder by making the supply chain a country, to country, to country process that stacks their costs on top of everything used in the supply chain. Right now, there’s only one solar PV company that’s going to manufacture solar PV using energy generated by solar PV for its manufacturing facilities. Any time one cuts out the middleman in the energy curve, you make your business more resistant to dips in the economy.

Don’t necessarily agree with Heliene’s Martin Pochtaruk, tax credits will not help in the overall cost of end product. What IS needed are these interested manufacturers to find a sustainable business model one can cultivate into an economy of scope instead of economies of scale.