{"id":107884,"date":"2024-11-20T15:08:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/\/?p=107884"},"modified":"2024-11-20T15:08:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T20:08:20","slug":"new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"New name ready to make HJT solar panels in Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of the new solar panel manufacturing outfits<\/a> starting in the United States have been multinational operations with years of production experience. But one new American name is attempting to break into the market, focusing on a unique design for the country \u2014 heterojunction technology (HJT<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Solarix<\/a> will invest $63 million into an existing 423,553-ft2<\/sup> facility on 56 acres of land in Forest, Virginia, to initially support 1.2 GW of annual solar panel manufacturing capacity. Solarix is going with HJT because company executives have experience with the novel technology, said CEO Carlos Class, and it honestly seems like a safer bet than patent-heavy TOPCon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many variations of TOPCon that have been patented by many companies. We knew at some point there was going to be some TOPCon patent infringement [allegations], and now Trina is starting that<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cThese companies that were developing their manufacturing lines here to use TOPCon in their modules, now they\u2019re putting a moratorium in their 2025 production plans for domestic content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides that, Class said Solarix is confident in HJT\u2019s benefits. In a warming world, HJT\u2019s higher temperature coefficient means panels can work in more climates. And there\u2019s room to play with even more advanced technologies like perovskites.<\/p>\n

\u201cHJT is a technology that once you develop the cell, you can continue to innovate on it. Once PERC or TOPCon is made, that\u2019s it. That\u2019s the end of its development stage,\u201d Class said. \u201cWe\u2019re not a company that is just bringing modules from Indonesia. We want to innovate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Solarix’s operations in Forest, Virginia.<\/p><\/div>\n

Solarix CTO Napoli Gomez and COO Carlos Class Sr. know HJT very well \u2014 they worked with early HJT designs two decades ago in Europe, Class said. The pair was also involved with production at the short-lived SolarTech Universal<\/a> manufacturing operations in Florida, where Meyer Burger technology was licensed for panels using SmartWire Technology. HJT experience in the United States is rare, with only Meyer Burger\u2019s operations in Arizona using the technology. That\u2019s why Solarix is focusing on the niche design.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very expensive to make HJT and get it to the market if you haven\u2019t had a demand for it,\u201d Class said. \u201cTo produce TOPCon, you grab a mono-PERC line and add a few more components to it and you\u2019re making TOPCon. To make HJT, you have to grab the mono-PERC line and sweep it away, get rid of it. You have to bring in a whole new line because there are new processes. A lot of companies are not eager to make that initial investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Class said that as a new manufacturer without established PERC lines to depend on, Solarix can more easily start HJT operations. The goal is to begin production in Q4 2025 and join Meyer Burger as the only domestic HJT solar panel manufacturers. 3SUN announced last year<\/a> its intentions to start HJT cell and panel operations in Oklahoma, but ground has yet to break on the project.<\/p>\n

Domestic sourcing<\/h3>\n

Where will Solarix get its solar cells to meet domestic content requirements? It\u2019s a worthy question, especially since Meyer Burger scrapped<\/a> its domestic cell manufacturing plans due to market fluctuations and has been losing customers<\/a> as a result. Class said Solarix has formed a production relationship with an American manufacturer that primarily makes HJT solar cells for space applications. The undisclosed company is considering building a facility to supply Solarix with cells, but nothing is yet finalized.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Manufacturing lines. Credit: Ecoprogetti<\/p><\/div>\n

Solarix is getting its manufacturing equipment from Ecoprogetti in Italy to ensure no components are coming from China.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not operating on a promise of no foreign ties, just American pride. We have partnerships with other manufacturers in India, other allies. They\u2019re battling China in their own countries as well,\u201d Class said. \u201cWe\u2019re a commonsense team with everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solarix has announced 104 jobs \u2014 a realistic number for today\u2019s modern manufacturing lines, Class said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do I need to publish and tell the state that I\u2019m providing 1,275 jobs? Let\u2019s be real \u2014 how much do you need? Yes, maybe I produce 1,275 jobs with contractors. But in reality, I have seven people per shift on the line,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Solarix may not be employing a lot of people, but the company is invested in being a long-term member of the community. Solarix wants to work with local universities and K-12 schools to get more young people interested in solar careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in an area that is very community based. This is not an industrial park,\u201d Class said. \u201cThe goal with this is to create more than just a solar panel manufacturer. We want to create a community.\u201d<\/p>\n

See SPW’s list of U.S. solar manufacturers here.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of the new solar panel manufacturing outfits starting in the United States have been multinational operations with years of production experience. But one new American name is attempting to break into the market, focusing on a unique design for the country \u2014 heterojunction technology (HJT). Solarix will invest $63 million into an existing 423,553-ft2…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":107886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,2650],"tags":[5557],"class_list":{"2":"type-post","10":"entry","11":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew name ready to make HJT solar panels in Virginia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most of the new solar panel manufacturing outfits starting in the United States have been multinational operations with years of production experience.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New name ready to make HJT solar panels in Virginia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most of the new solar panel manufacturing outfits starting in the United States have been multinational operations with years of production experience.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Solar Power World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarPowerWorld\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-20T20:08:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ecoprogetti.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"770\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly Pickerel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solarkellyp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SolarPowerWorld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly Pickerel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/\",\"name\":\"New name ready to make HJT solar panels in Virginia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ecoprogetti.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-20T20:08:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/#\/schema\/person\/6f941a69e40d7cb71df74979910822c6\"},\"description\":\"Most of the new solar panel manufacturing outfits starting in the United States have been multinational operations with years of production experience.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/\/2024\/11\/new-name-ready-to-make-hjt-solar-panels-in-virginia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ecoprogetti.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ecoprogetti.jpg\",\"width\":770,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Manufacturing lines. 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