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ES Foundry began cell production at its South Carolina facility in January of this year. Image: ES Foundry.
South Carolina-based cell manufacturer ES Foundry has signed a 150MW cell supply deal with what it calls a “leading national community solar developer” in the US.
The agreement, which will last for three years, will see ES Foundry supply cells to an unnamed module manufacturer, which will use them in modules to be delivered to the community solar developer.
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“With this agreement, our customer is setting an example for other solar developers to proactively solidify their domestic supply chain strategies,” said ES Foundry VP of sales Ken Johnston. “Developers need certainty, and our commitment is to provide them with a steady supply of high-quality solar cells so they can complete their projects on time and at scale.”
The news follows ES Foundry’s commissioning of a cell manufacturing facility in its home state earlier this year, and the signing of a supply deal with module producer Bila Solar. While many of the world’s cell producers are transitioning to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells, ES Foundry has committed to the production of passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) cells, and CEO Alex Zhu explained the rationale behind this decision to PV Tech Premium earlier this year.
ES Foundry’s work is part of a years-long push to expand clean energy manufacturing in the US, to reduce reliance on imported materials from overseas, particularly China. While new US module manufacturing capacity has accounted for much of this trend – US PV manufacturing capacity has increased fourfold since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – US cell manufacturing capacity has not grown at such speed.
Last year, PV Tech head of research Finlay Colville said meaningful new cell manufacturing capacity would be a “pivotal moment” in the US solar sector, and the US started silicon cell production in the third quarter of 2024 for the first time since 2019.
This is also not the only development in the community solar sector. This week, Catalyze announced the receipt of US$85 million in financing to support the development of new community solar projects in the US.
PV Tech publisher Solar Media will be organising the fourth edition of Large Scale Solar USA in Dallas, Texas 29-30 April. After a record year for solar PV additions in the US, the event will dive into the ongoing uncertainties on tariffs, tax credits and trade policies as more domestic manufacturing becomes operational. Other challenges, such as the interconnection queues and permitting, will also be covered in Dallas. More information, including how to attend, can be read here .
Nestled in Dallas, Texas, Large Scale Solar USA Summit 4th Edition is the nexus for project developers, capital providers, utilities, asset managers, and policymakers. Dive deep into the solar industry’s transformative growth, learn from the best, and discover strategies to boost utility-scale solar deployment nationwide.
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.
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https://www.pv-tech.org/es-foundry-signs-150mw-cell-supply-deal-us-community-solar/
