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Released August 25, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--T1 Energy (Austin, Texas) said recently one of the largest U.S. projects for manufacturing solar cells, the major component of solar modules (panels), is on track to begin construction by the end of the year.
As part of its second-quarter earnings results, the company said its $850 million solar cell manufacturing plant in Milam County, Texas (G2 Austin) is on track to begin construction in the third or fourth quarter. The plant will have an annual capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) when fully operational, which would make it one of the largest solar cell plants in the U.S.; it will be developed in two stages of 2.5 GW each, with production of the first phase's solar cells set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Site preparation is underway, and T1 said it is exploring multiple ways to fund the project, including potential project investments by strategic partners.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can learn more from a detailed project report.
The company said "the start of construction remains subject to progress toward achieving compliance with FEOC [Foreign Entity of Concern] regulations" under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The regulations restrict entities from claiming certain renewable energy tax credits, including the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (Section 45X), if projects do not begin construction prior to January 1, 2026.
T1 is advancing its effort to achieve compliance, as evidenced by its commercial agreement with Corning Incorporated (Corning, New York) to source solar wafers, the fundamental building block of solar cells, for G2 Austin. The wafers would come from Corning's Hemlock Solar Components Plant, under construction in Saginaw County, Michigan, with deliveries to T1 starting in the second half of 2026. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
The company also announced a sales agreement "with one of the largest U.S. utilities" to provide 437 megawatts of solar modules from its operational G1 Dallas plant in Texas, which recently surpassed 1 GW of total cumulative production. T1 purchased the plant from Trina Solar in late 2024. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
T1 also highlighted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a driver for solar-generation projects, as the company "has been fielding a noticeably elevated cadence of inbound customer inquiries" since its passage in early July.
Although the law phases out tax credits for solar projects, it allows projects in advanced stages of development that begin construction by July 2026 to still receive them.
"Interest in domestic solar is accelerating on several fronts since early July," said Daniel Barcelo, T1's chief executive officer. "We're seeing increased commercial sales, the pace of offtake agreement discussions is quickening, demand from hyperscale AI projects is phenomenal, and there's growing interest in our G2_Austin solar cell project ... it is clear the time to build a domestic solar supply chain is right now."
Earlier this year, Corning, solar cell manufacturer Suniva (Atlanta, Georgia), and module manufacturer Heliene Incorporated (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) announced a joint partnership to provide the U.S. domestic market with the only solar module made with polysilicon, wafers and cells manufactured in the states. For more information on this and projects from all three companies, see Industrial Info's March 14, 2025, article - Three Companies Join to Create First 'Made in America' Solar Module Supply Chain.
Solar cells are stacked to form a wafer, and polysilicon, a highly purified form of silicon, is an essential raw material used to manufacture solar modules.
The aforementioned projects are some of the roughly $15 billion worth of active and planned projects for the manufacturing of solar panels and cells within the U.S.
Canadian Solar Incorporated (Guelph, Ontario) is underway with its solar cell manufacturing plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, also designed to feature an annual capacity of 5 GW-- equivalent to approximately 20,000 modules per day. Subscribers can click here to read detailed information on the project, which Industrial Info is tracking with a completion date by the end of 2026.
In February, the Solar Energy Industries Association reported the U.S. had more than 50 GW worth of solar module-manufacturing capacity.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of active and planned projects for the manufacturing of solar panels and cells within the U.S.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
As part of its second-quarter earnings results, the company said its $850 million solar cell manufacturing plant in Milam County, Texas (G2 Austin) is on track to begin construction in the third or fourth quarter. The plant will have an annual capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) when fully operational, which would make it one of the largest solar cell plants in the U.S.; it will be developed in two stages of 2.5 GW each, with production of the first phase's solar cells set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Site preparation is underway, and T1 said it is exploring multiple ways to fund the project, including potential project investments by strategic partners.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can learn more from a detailed project report.
The company said "the start of construction remains subject to progress toward achieving compliance with FEOC [Foreign Entity of Concern] regulations" under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The regulations restrict entities from claiming certain renewable energy tax credits, including the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (Section 45X), if projects do not begin construction prior to January 1, 2026.
T1 is advancing its effort to achieve compliance, as evidenced by its commercial agreement with Corning Incorporated (Corning, New York) to source solar wafers, the fundamental building block of solar cells, for G2 Austin. The wafers would come from Corning's Hemlock Solar Components Plant, under construction in Saginaw County, Michigan, with deliveries to T1 starting in the second half of 2026. Subscribers can click here for the project report.
The company also announced a sales agreement "with one of the largest U.S. utilities" to provide 437 megawatts of solar modules from its operational G1 Dallas plant in Texas, which recently surpassed 1 GW of total cumulative production. T1 purchased the plant from Trina Solar in late 2024. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
T1 also highlighted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a driver for solar-generation projects, as the company "has been fielding a noticeably elevated cadence of inbound customer inquiries" since its passage in early July.
Although the law phases out tax credits for solar projects, it allows projects in advanced stages of development that begin construction by July 2026 to still receive them.
"Interest in domestic solar is accelerating on several fronts since early July," said Daniel Barcelo, T1's chief executive officer. "We're seeing increased commercial sales, the pace of offtake agreement discussions is quickening, demand from hyperscale AI projects is phenomenal, and there's growing interest in our G2_Austin solar cell project ... it is clear the time to build a domestic solar supply chain is right now."
Earlier this year, Corning, solar cell manufacturer Suniva (Atlanta, Georgia), and module manufacturer Heliene Incorporated (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) announced a joint partnership to provide the U.S. domestic market with the only solar module made with polysilicon, wafers and cells manufactured in the states. For more information on this and projects from all three companies, see Industrial Info's March 14, 2025, article - Three Companies Join to Create First 'Made in America' Solar Module Supply Chain.
Solar cells are stacked to form a wafer, and polysilicon, a highly purified form of silicon, is an essential raw material used to manufacture solar modules.
The aforementioned projects are some of the roughly $15 billion worth of active and planned projects for the manufacturing of solar panels and cells within the U.S.
Canadian Solar Incorporated (Guelph, Ontario) is underway with its solar cell manufacturing plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, also designed to feature an annual capacity of 5 GW-- equivalent to approximately 20,000 modules per day. Subscribers can click here to read detailed information on the project, which Industrial Info is tracking with a completion date by the end of 2026.
In February, the Solar Energy Industries Association reported the U.S. had more than 50 GW worth of solar module-manufacturing capacity.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of active and planned projects for the manufacturing of solar panels and cells within the U.S.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
