Germany’s NexWafe will supply low-oxygen monocrystalline EpiNex silicon wafers to US-based Talon PV through 2032 for its solar cell manufacturing operations
The wafers will initially come from NexWafe’s pilot line in Bitterfeld, Germany, and will support Talon’s planned 4.8 GW TOPCon cell factory in Texas
Both companies will also work together to enhance TOPCon cell performance by improving wafer quality, lowering oxygen content, and developing advanced junction designs
India’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)-backed German solar wafer producer NexWafe GmbH has secured a long-term silicon wafer supply contract with US-based solar cell manufacturer Talon PV for close to 7 GW capacity.
NexWafe will supply its low-oxygen monocrystalline EpiNex silicon wafers through 2032 to support Talon’s US solar cell manufacturing operations. Talon is building a 4.8 GW TOPCon cell factory in Baytown, Texas, targeting early 2027 commissioning.
Initially, NexWafe will supply its proprietary EpiNex wafers to Talon from its pilot production line at Bitterfeld, Germany. Talon said that, in the future, the collaboration could explore multi-GW manufacturing expansion in the US through partnerships with established industry players.
“This agreement with Talon PV represents an important step toward building a next-generation wafer-to-cell ecosystem spanning Germany and the United States,” said Davor Sutija, PhD, CEO of NexWafe. In 2024, the company established a US subsidiary to evaluate the development of a 6 GW solar wafer production facility (see US Market To Get German Solar Wafer Technology).
The German technology company manufactures its EpiNex wafers using a direct-to-gas process as opposed to the industry-standard Czochralski method, which it says helps reduce material and production waste. NexWafe achieved 24.4% efficiency on a commercial M6 heterojunction (HJT) cell line in 2024 (see NexWafe reports 24.4% HJT cell efficiency using its wafer products).
Talon is also establishing a pilot production line for TOPCon at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany, where the initial EpiNex wafer qualification work is planned to be conducted.
Both companies have also agreed to collaborate to improve TOPCon solar cell performance using NexWafe’s EpiNex wafers. The focus of this collaboration will be on improving wafer material quality, reducing oxygen content, and developing advanced junction designs to increase efficiency and long-term reliability of n-type solar cells.
US cell and module producer T1 Energy acquired a minority stake in Talon PV in October 2025 to strengthen its vertical integration and align with non-FEOC solar manufacturing in the country (see T1 Energy Invests In US Solar Cell Producer Talon PV).
The Talon PV and NexWafe agreement bolsters compliance with the rules for renewable energy procurement under the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Recently, the US Department of the Treasury and the IRS released interim guidance regarding eligibility to claim tax credits in case of material assistance from prohibited foreign entities (see US Treasury Tightens Clean Energy Tax Credit Eligibility Under FEOC Guidance).