Ebon Solar Announces $942 Million Solar Cell Factory In New Mexico, USA

Ebon Solar, a Delaware-based US company, plans to build a new solar cell manufacturing plant in New Mexico for an estimated investment of $942 million, creating over 900 new jobs.   

It has zeroed in on 834,000 sq. ft. space in Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol Industrial Development Area. It has not revealed the annual production capacity of the factory but plans to develop ‘beginning-to-end advanced manufacturing of solar cells’.  

While not much is known about Ebon, on its website the company writes that it is an American company innovating solar cell technology and manufacturing practices. It is backed by Singapore-based semiconductor producer Ebang International that specializes in Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chip design. Ebang is listed on the Nasdaq as EBON.    

Ebang says it is investing in TOPCon solar cells and panels and ‘oversees’ the entire production process, from the refinement of high-grade polysilicon to the precision crafting of solar wafers, and assembly of cells and panels. Its panels will bear the ‘Made in the USA’ label in the future, according to the company’s plans.   

In July 2024, Ebang entered into an agreement to purchase approximately 100 acres of land in Albuquerque for Ebon. Ebang was founded by Chairman Dong Hu who has also served as the director and CEO of Zhejiang Ebang since January 2010.  

Ebon Solar is led by CEO Judy Cai who comes with a rich experience of the financial industry. She said, “The choice of Albuquerque for our investment aligns with our commitment to sustainable innovation, and New Mexico offers abundant solar resources, favorable renewable energy policies, and a dedicated, skilled workforce.”  

Mesa del Sol is also the location of Maxeon Solar Technologies’ 3 GW TOPCon solar cell and 3 GW shingled-cell module fab that it announced a year back in August 2023 (see Maxeon Picks New Mexico For New Solar Fab).  

Recently, a bipartisan team of US Senators demanded the government to keep Chinese solar companies from using financial benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (see US Senators Want No IRA Manufacturing Aid For Chinese Solar Producers).  

TaiyangNews, along with EUPD Research and RE+ will bring together stakeholders from across the US solar industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities for competitive PV manufacturing of solar wafers, cells and modules in the US on September 9, 2024 for the Solar Made in USA Conference at RE+ at Anaheim, California, US. Registrations for the 1-day conference can be done here.