Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 6 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 6 related plants in PECWeb
Released March 14, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Solar cell manufacturer Suniva (Atlanta, Georgia), solar module manufacturer Heliene Incorporated (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) and Corning (Corning, New York) last week 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. Industrial Info is tracking related projects from all three companies.
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.
Corning would supply the wafers and is sourcing the polysilicon through its majority-owned subsidiary, Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC), from two adjacent facilities in Saginaw County, Michigan.
Corning is building out its Hemlock Solar Components Plant, which involves constructing a 788,000+-square-foot building to manufacture a variety of solar components, including wafers and cells. Construction is expected to wrap up around the end of the year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project and Plant databases can click here for a detailed project report and here for a plant profile.
The adjacent polysilicon plant is operational, but HSC is developing a $400 million expansion designed to boost production capacity. The U.S. Department of Commerce in January awarded the project up to $325 million in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, although it remains to be seen if President Donald Trump's administration will cancel, alter or delay any funding under the statute. Industrial Info is tracking the project with a medium probability (70-80%) of kicking off in early 2026 and wrapping up two years later. Subscribers can click here to read more project information.
The newfound supply chain partnership's solar cells will be made at Suniva's currently closed solar cell plant in Norcross, Georgia, where a Phase 1 renovation/expansion project is in the final commissioning stage. Suniva is almost done restarting operations at the existing 59,000-square-foot plant and adding an adjacent 61,000-square-foot building to support increasing the plant production capacity of solar cells to 1 gigawatt. Click here to read the project report.
"We are excited that this partnership brings a truly Made-in-America solution to the United States market," said Matt Card, the president of Suniva, in a press release. "Together, our companies offer the only solar cell in the market that provides U.S. developers maximum ITC [investment tax credit] domestic content advantage -- while building a domestic supply chain that provides for American energy independence and a strong manufacturing base."
The final company involved in the new partnership, Heliene, later this year plans to begin renovating an existing facility in Rogers, Minnesota, to manufacture 550 megawatts worth of solar modules for the U.S. market. Click here to read the project report.
Heliene currently produces solar modules at its plant in Mountain Iron, Minnesota; see plant profile.
Although that project is on track, Heliene Chief Executive Officer Martin Pochtaruk, in a late December interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune, said the company will not move ahead with a planned solar cell manufacturing plant in St. Paul until there was more clarity on how Trump will handle the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
"While we continue to progress on all of the planning and preparation, we are not going to be placing purchase orders for equipment until the new administration is in place, there is a better understanding of any and all possible changes," Pochtaruk said.
He said making solar cells is a costly endeavor, and the company relies on the IRA's 45X tax credit--which subsidizes production of solar and wind components.
Subscribers can read reports for the project's Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related 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).
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.
Corning would supply the wafers and is sourcing the polysilicon through its majority-owned subsidiary, Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC), from two adjacent facilities in Saginaw County, Michigan.
Corning is building out its Hemlock Solar Components Plant, which involves constructing a 788,000+-square-foot building to manufacture a variety of solar components, including wafers and cells. Construction is expected to wrap up around the end of the year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project and Plant databases can click here for a detailed project report and here for a plant profile.
The adjacent polysilicon plant is operational, but HSC is developing a $400 million expansion designed to boost production capacity. The U.S. Department of Commerce in January awarded the project up to $325 million in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, although it remains to be seen if President Donald Trump's administration will cancel, alter or delay any funding under the statute. Industrial Info is tracking the project with a medium probability (70-80%) of kicking off in early 2026 and wrapping up two years later. Subscribers can click here to read more project information.
The newfound supply chain partnership's solar cells will be made at Suniva's currently closed solar cell plant in Norcross, Georgia, where a Phase 1 renovation/expansion project is in the final commissioning stage. Suniva is almost done restarting operations at the existing 59,000-square-foot plant and adding an adjacent 61,000-square-foot building to support increasing the plant production capacity of solar cells to 1 gigawatt. Click here to read the project report.
"We are excited that this partnership brings a truly Made-in-America solution to the United States market," said Matt Card, the president of Suniva, in a press release. "Together, our companies offer the only solar cell in the market that provides U.S. developers maximum ITC [investment tax credit] domestic content advantage -- while building a domestic supply chain that provides for American energy independence and a strong manufacturing base."
The final company involved in the new partnership, Heliene, later this year plans to begin renovating an existing facility in Rogers, Minnesota, to manufacture 550 megawatts worth of solar modules for the U.S. market. Click here to read the project report.
Heliene currently produces solar modules at its plant in Mountain Iron, Minnesota; see plant profile.
Although that project is on track, Heliene Chief Executive Officer Martin Pochtaruk, in a late December interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune, said the company will not move ahead with a planned solar cell manufacturing plant in St. Paul until there was more clarity on how Trump will handle the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
"While we continue to progress on all of the planning and preparation, we are not going to be placing purchase orders for equipment until the new administration is in place, there is a better understanding of any and all possible changes," Pochtaruk said.
He said making solar cells is a costly endeavor, and the company relies on the IRA's 45X tax credit--which subsidizes production of solar and wind components.
Subscribers can read reports for the project's Phase 1 and Phase 2.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related 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).
