Canada-headquartered North American solar module manufacturer Silfab Solar has entered into an agreement with US solar recycler SOLARCYCLE to source ultra-low-carbon domestic solar glass for its American panels.
SOLARCYCLE will supply solar glass to Silfab from its newly announced solar glass production fab with up to 6 GW annual capacity. The Georgia located fab will produce solar glass from recycled material collected from retired solar panels (see US Solar Module Recycler Expands With New Factory).
In an official statement, Silfab did not disclose the annual capacity or the duration of its contract. SOLARCYCLE targets to bring the glass fab online by 2026. It claims companies will be able to reduce climate impacts created during manufacturing by over 30% and from shipping by more than 50% with its US-made recycled solar glass.
Silfab is building a new factory in South Carolina with 1 GW solar cell and 1.3 GW module production. It is located some 300 miles from the SOLARCYCLE glass fab. The 2 companies are already cooperating for the recycling of Silfab's older or under-performing modules.
"Utilizing American-produced glass in our PV modules further meets the county's demands for USA content in made-in-America clean energy products and creates additional US jobs," said Silfab President and CEO Paolo Maccario.
The US' Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which incentivizes the use of locally-produced solar components in projects, has provided a boost to domestic PV manufacturing initiatives in the country. According to the American Clean Power Association, 123 new manufacturing facilities have been announced since the passing of the Act on August 16, 2022 till February 9, 2024, representing over $35 billion in capital investment, across the solar supply chain (see US Utility-Scale Clean Energy Capacity Grew By 33.8 GW In 2023).