US monocrystalline silicon solar cell manufacturer Suniva is bouncing back into the business after having filed for bankruptcy in 2017, with 1 GW production capacity plans. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it will restart the company's Norcross, Georgia located solar cell manufacturing facility by Spring 2024.
The company, known to have brought in Section 201 trade tariffs on imported solar products under Donald Trump administration to fight cheaper panels, plans to follow up with phase II of expansion to increase its annual production capacity up to 2.5 GW.
"The Inflation Reduction Act and its Domestic Content provisions, as issued, provide a strong foundation for continued solar cell technology development and manufacturing in the United States," said Suniva Board Member and CEO Cristiano Amoruso.
To support its efforts to bring back solar cell manufacturing into the country, Suniva secured a $110 million financing commitment from Orion Infrastructure Capital (OIC) which it aims to use to install state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
OIC is also investing in Canada headquartered solar cell and module maker Heliene for its new US fab (see Canadian Company Lands Funding For Manufacturing).
Suniva says it has also signed a multi-year supply agreement of Uyghur Forced Labor Compliant Wafers (UFLPA) compliant wafers for its cells.
Despite trade tariffs under Section 201 in force since 2018 brought on by Suniva, it is the IRA that has been a major incentive for domestic solar PV manufacturing to flourish in the US, and for Suniva to come back into business.
According to the American Clean Power Association (ACP) since August 2022 when the IRA was announced, 83 new manufacturing facilities have been announced in the country till August 2023. These represent 62 GW of solar modules, 35 GW cells, 10 GW ingot/wafers and 29 GW polysilicon capacities.