The Largest Photovoltaic Cell Plant in The United States Is Officially Put Into Operation
Feb 07, 2025
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ES Foundry, a photovoltaic cell manufacturer in the United States, held a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony in Greenwood, South Carolina, to officially open its operations. The new venture is expected to become the largest producer of high-quality crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells in the United States.
The ES Foundry facility is located on the Fujifilm campus in Greenwood County and covers 400,000 square feet. It produces crystal double-sided PERC(passivated emitter and backside contact) solar cells. The first phase of operational preparation was completed in about seven months, and the plant currently employs 125 people and has an annual solar cell capacity of 1 GW. However, as the company moves forward with the second phase of the plan, the number of employees will expand to 500 by the third quarter of 2025, and annual production will soar to 3 GW.
Alex Zhu, CEO and founder of ES Foundry, chose Greenwood because of its strong manufacturing base and Fujifilm's existing infrastructure. On January 15, ES Foundry announced that it has signed its first multi-year contract for over 1 GW with a "top tier solar module manufacturer." Zhu expects to announce partnerships with other U.S. component manufacturers in the coming weeks.
Zhu explained that for module manufacturers, US-made solar cells are essential for them to take advantage of the domestic content tax credit provided in the Inflation Reduction Act. "When it comes to domestic content, especially under the new safe harbor law, it is impossible to get the domestic content tax credit without the battery," he stressed. Not only do you have to have components, you have to have batteries."
The main raw materials used to make solar cells include silicon wafers, silver paste, aluminum paste, and various chemicals and gases. Mr Zhu says ES Foundry sources all its chemicals and gases from within the US. Silicon wafers, however, are imported. Because there is no silicon wafer manufacturing industry in the United States, silicon wafers are sourced from Southeast Asia. Mr. Zhu also said the expected tariffs could affect ES Foundry's production costs, as wafer prices in Southeast Asia are already low and there is no margin to offset the tariffs.
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