Leading vertically integrated solar PV manufacturer from China, Trina Solar is expanding its manufacturing footprint to the US with a 5 GW fab in Wilmer, Texas. Polysilicon for the same will be sourced from the US and Europe.
While the company has not revealed any potential polysilicon suppliers for its US fab, by committing to sourcing non-Chinese polysilicon, Trina has also avoided any potential problems it could face in the wake of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) (see UFLPA Comes Into Force In The US).
The Chinese company will roll out its flagship large power output Vertex solar modules at the new factory with state-of-the-art 210 mm large wafer size.
Trina is targeting 2024 as the commissioning period for the facility, which will cover more than 1 million sq. ft.
Found guilty of circumventing US trade tariffs from Thailand by the US Department of Commerce recently, Trina Solar should be looking at setting up shop in the country before the 2-year pause on tariffs on imported solar panels from Southeast Asian nations comes to an end in June 2024 (see US Circumvention Investigation Comes To A Close).
"This factory sets the stage for Trina to continuously expand business in the US and show our customers that we are committed to providing best-in-class products," said President of Trina Solar US, Steven Zhu. "Trina will announce additional investments in American communities soon."
The manufacturer is investing over $200 million in property and equipment for the factory that's expected to create 1,500 local jobs on completion.
Trina Solar's manufacturing move to the US follows its contemporaries like LONGi that's partnering with Invenergy for a 5 GW production fab in Ohio (see LONGi Partners For 5 GW US Solar Module Fab). JA Solar too has announced a 2 GW fab in Arizona (see JA Solar Takes US Solar Module Manufacturing Steps).
Trina Solar is participating in the TaiyangNews Virtual Conference on Advanced Module Applications, scheduled for September 26, 2023. Registrations to the event are free and can be done here.