Silfab Solar’s solar cell and PV module manufacturing plant in South Carolina, USA, will represent the next step in the company’s active investment in deeper vertical integration of solar manufacturing, which will result in competitive, financial, social, and environmental benefits. South Carolina is an attractive location for expansion as it is one of the US states where solar manufacturing is supported by a government active in developing local, sustainable industries.

Access to low-carbon energy was also a key factor in our decision to establish at this location as it will enable us to make our solar products even more sustainable.

Silfab Solar has dedicated strategic resources to manage sustainable growth, continued U.S. expansion, control over its supply chain, and has put together a team of highly skilled engineers, technicians, and scientists with experience in solar cell production to bring the South Carolina facility online. Investing in US-made solar cells is a critical component in developing a clean supply chain to support the manufacturing of solar panels for North American customers.

Silfab Solar’s new factory, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina will add 1 gigawatt of American-made solar cell production and another 1.3 gigawatts of PV module production. We are committed to providing 800 new skilled jobs, $17 million in property taxes to local schools, $4.7 million taxes to York County, and, once fully staffed, an estimated annual payroll of more than $48 million.

The health and safety of our employees and the community is paramount and always our top priority. Solar cell manufacturing is a safe process. Assembly occurs in an ISO 8 self-contained clean room environment with unique air filtration systems and temperature and humidity controls keeping the assembly process safe and clean. Silfab has taken precautions that exceed the requirements put forth by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) and the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH).

Hand in hand with the new solar cell manufacturing investment, Silfab Solar has been selected for an innovation award by the U.S. Department of Energy to continue its objective of becoming a national leader in USA-produced, next generation solar cells. The $20 million project will develop back contact N-type cells to demonstrate efficiencies of 26 percent or better. The Silfab Solar team is developing these innovations on a 300-MW pilot line, which will operate alongside Silfab Solar’s main N-type cell manufacturing at its new South Carolina facility. The project will enable rapid scale-up of cost effective, back-contact cell technology into high-volume manufacturing of Silfab Solar’s next line of premium PV solar modules.

As part of the federal government’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) program to provide community benefits in project locations, Silfab Solar has begun a series of workforce development initiatives and school outreach programs to encourage youth to consider careers in renewable energy, among other efforts.