By Alex Zhu, CEO, ES Foundry
Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the U.S. solar industry has focused on reinvigorating domestic manufacturing. Policy created momentum, expanded investments and opportunities and companies have announced ambitious plans to strengthen the domestic supply chain. Plans aren’t enough, however — the next chapter will be defined by what companies produce, not what they promise.
ES Foundry’s latest milestone is a clear example that American solar manufacturing has moved beyond plans on paper and into real-world execution. We have completed a 2 GW expansion at our Greenwood, South Carolina, facility, increasing its annual solar cell manufacturing capacity to 3 GW. With the first solar cell now off the newly expanded production line, one of the country’s largest domestic solar cell manufacturing operations is producing at scale.
More than modules alone
The United States has made meaningful progress in module manufacturing in the past five years, but modules are only one part of the equation. Solar cells remain one of the most significant gaps in the domestic supply chain, leaving the market exposed to global supply volatility, trade uncertainty, compliance risk and challenges in meeting domestic content requirements.
Those challenges affect every part of the industry. Module manufacturers need a dependable source of U.S.-made cells. Developers and EPCs need procurement strategies that can withstand increasing FEOC scrutiny. Asset owners and tax equity partners need the documentation, traceability and supply chain confidence required to finance projects.
In other words, the market needs operating capacity that customers can procure today.
By completing a 2 GW expansion and bringing total annual capacity to 3 GW, ES Foundry is helping close one of the most critical gaps in the U.S. solar manufacturing ecosystem. The company is giving customers access to high-quality, U.S.-made crystalline bifacial PERC solar cells from an operating domestic facility at the scale the market needs.
Execution is becoming the new measure of leadership
The U.S. solar industry has entered into a more demanding phase where domestic content requirements, FEOC restrictions, trade uncertainty and audit-ready documentation are central to how projects are evaluated, financed and built.
In this environment, customers cannot base procurement strategies on planned capacity. They need manufacturing partners with proven operations, reliable production and the ability to deliver the documentation and traceability today’s projects require.
Since celebrating the ribbon cutting of our facility in January 2025, ES Foundry has ramped production, secured customer commitments, expanded our workforce and completed an additional 2 GW expansion. Those milestones demonstrate the ability to translate investment into operating capacity at a time when the market is placing greater value on execution than ambition.
This is where leadership in U.S. solar manufacturing will be defined: not by who announces the most capacity, but by who delivers it.
Domestic cells improve financeability
Solar procurement has become closely tied to compliance, risk management and project financeability. Developers, IPPs, EPCs, module manufacturers and asset owners are operating in a market where supply chain decisions can influence project timelines, tax credit strategies and investor confidence. The ability to verify where components are made, document domestic content and reduce FEOC-related uncertainty has become a competitive advantage.
ES Foundry’s expanded 3 GW manufacturing platform is designed for that environment. Our U.S.-made crystalline bifacial PERC solar cells support a broad range of applications, from utility-scale projects to community solar, while helping customers strengthen domestic content strategies under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
The value extends beyond the solar cell itself. Customers need suppliers that understand documentation, traceability and compliance support are now part of the product they produce. ES Foundry’s ability to manufacture domestically at scale gives the market something it increasingly needs: a more reliable, transparent and financeable path to project execution.
Invest. Hire. Scale.
The U.S. has made a strategic decision to strengthen domestic clean energy manufacturing, but policy does not build factories, train workers or ship products. That requires companies to invest, hire and scale.
ES Foundry’s expansion in Greenwood, South Carolina, demonstrates what that commitment looks like in practice. Since launching operations, we’ve hired more than 400 employees, creating high-quality advanced manufacturing jobs while helping strengthen the region’s workforce and manufacturing base.
The impact extends well beyond a single facility. Domestic solar manufacturing strengthens the supply chain, supports energy security, creates economic opportunities and anchors long-term investment in American communities. As ES Foundry scales, our investment is expected to create additional opportunities for local workers, suppliers and the broader community.
The market is shifting from “Can we build it?” to “Who can deliver?”
Ever since inexpensive cells from overseas have dominated the industry, the U.S. solar industry debated whether domestic manufacturing could scale. Our expansion to 3 GW of annual solar cell production answers that question. The conversation is now about which manufacturers can consistently deliver the production, quality, compliance and reliability that today’s market demands.
The industry has had enough announcements. The companies that will lead from here are the ones producing now.
Ready to source U.S.-made solar cells?
Connect with our team to discuss capacity, documentation and how we can support your domestic solar strategy.