TOYO Announces 1.5 GW US HJT Solar Cell Factory

Japan-headquartered solar PV manufacturer TOYO has announced plans to expand its US manufacturing operations with a new 1.5 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in the Houston metropolitan area of Texas.  

The facility will manufacture heterojunction (HJT) solar cells, a technology the company says offers higher efficiency and improved performance compared with conventional solar cell designs. 

TOYO’s Chief Strategy Officer Rhone Resch explained the rationale behind investing in HJT cell structure, instead of the more conventional PERC and more popular TOPCon technology. “Looking ahead, we believe HJT is the optimal technology platform for integrating next-generation perovskite solar cells, which we expect will drive the next major advancement in solar conversion efficiency and support TOYO's long-term technology roadmap,” stated Resch.  

TOYO expects to invest about $357 million in the cell project where engineering, design and procurement activities are already underway. Pilot production and project completion are targeted within the next 20 months. 

The project will be co-located with the company's existing solar module plant that currently operates with 1 GW annual capacity and planned to be expanded to 2 GW in 2026. According to TOYO, locating cell manufacturing alongside module production is expected to improve operational efficiency, lower logistics costs and shorten production timelines.  

"Co-locating 1.5 GW of HJT cell capacity at our Houston module site significantly optimizes our capital allocation and infrastructure spend,” said TOYO Chairman and CEO Takahiko Onozuka. He called the expansion into domestic cell manufacturing as the ‘natural next step’ to creating an ‘integrated onshore solar supply chain from polysilicon to panels’.  

The company also noted that domestic cell production could qualify for US manufacturing incentives under current federal policies. The new facility is expected to create around 400 direct manufacturing jobs, with additional employment opportunities anticipated across the regional supply chain.  

TOYO says this will create an integrated manufacturing hub and supporting domestic solar supply chain security and reliability, targeting the US utility-scale solar market.  

The expansion, it explained, creates an integrated manufacturing hub, and aligns with its strategy to build a US-based, Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC)-compliant manufacturing. 

TOYO’s US solar cell investment follows the company being named under a new antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) complaint by a coalition of 8 US solar PV manufacturers. The coalition AASMT accuses TOYO and Origin Solar Manufacturing of allegedly making solar cells using China-linked solar wafers, before assembling as modules at their Ethiopia plants to access US market bypass existing US trade duties (see New US Petition Targets Ethiopia Solar Imports).