US-based Suniva has secured a deal to supply its monocrystalline silicon solar cells for Canada-headquartered solar module manufacturer Heliene to enable its US customers to benefit from federal incentives for using solar modules with domestic content.
The duo says this 3-year contract is a result of the solar project owners' and developers' desire for their projects to qualify for the 10% Domestic Content Bonus Investment Tax Credit. It is available to companies on using US-made solar cells as announced by the US Department of Treasury in May 2023 (see Guidelines For IRA Benefits Released).
Heliene claims its US-produced solar modules at its existing fab at Minnesota will be the 1st crystalline solar modules to be made with US-made solar cells, thanks to the Suniva deal. These panels will be commercially available in mid-2024.
The Canadian manufacturer is operating a 150 MW assembling line at its Mountain Iron, Minnesota fab since 2018 which was expanded to 300 MW in December 2023. The factory also operates a 500 MW additional line.
Suniva and Heliene claim this partnership addresses the gap in the solar supply chain wherein most solar modules are made with imported solar cells. It will meet the increased demand for domestic products.
In a recent report by the US International Trade Commission (USITC), the country's safeguard tariffs have not been able to help establish a local solar supply chain, pointing to the lack of domestic solar cell production facilities. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has led to several cell manufacturing announcements that are planned to come online between 2024 and 2026 (see USITC's Midterm Crystalline Silicon Solar PV Industry Report).
Suniva CEO Cristiano Amoruso says, "This contract is a testament to the effectiveness of the Inflation Reduction Act and Treasury's May 2023 domestic content guidance. We are proud to fulfill our long-standing promise to bring back cell manufacturing to the United States at our Norcross facility."
Having gone bankrupt in 2017, Georgia-based Suniva announced plans to restart its Norcross fab in October 2023. It targets to bring 1 GW online by Spring 2024 and follow it up with another 1.5 GW. It has already secured a multi-year supply agreement for UFLPA-compliant wafers from an unidentified supplier (see IRA Breathes Life Into Shuttered US Solar Factory).