Canadian Solar opens first US factory for heterojunction solar cells

CS PowerTech opened phase one of an Indiana plant it says is the first in the US built to make high-efficiency HJT bifacial N-type solar cells.

CS PowerTech, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, has opened the first phase of a photovoltaic cell factory in Jeffersonville, Indiana, at the River Ridge Commerce Center. The company describes it as the first American PV cell facility designed to produce heterojunction (HJT) bifacial N-type solar cells \u2014 a higher-efficiency cell architecture. Phase two expansion is expected to begin before the end of the year.

At full capacity the plant is expected to produce more than 6 GWp of cells annually and support over 1,200 jobs in Southern Indiana, representing nearly $1 billion in local investment. CS PowerTech also runs a module plant in Mesquite, Texas, and says its US operations employ over 3,000 people. Parent company Canadian Solar reports delivering nearly 177 GW of modules over 25 years.

Cell manufacturing is the step most US solar supply chains lack; modules are increasingly assembled domestically, but the cells inside them are largely imported. A high-efficiency cell factory on US soil adds resilience to the supply chain and reduces exposure to trade disruption \u2014 the groundwork for cheaper, more reliably available clean generation over time.

The honest limits: this is a press release, and the capacity and job figures are stated as expectations at full capacity rather than current output. The document carries forward-looking-statement disclaimers. Watch whether phase two proceeds on schedule and whether the plant reaches its stated 6 GWp run rate.

Source: CleanTechnica