China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, has announced it will build a 5 gigawatt (GW) solar panel factory in Texas.

The factory will be in Wilmer, southeast of Dallas. The $200 million facility will be more than 1 million square feet in size and will create 1,500 local jobs. Trina Solar says it will source polysilicon, a key raw material in the solar supply chain, from the US and Europe. The factory will come online in 2024.

Trina Solar’s Texas factory will produce the company’s Vertex modules that incorporate 210mm silicon wafers that allow over 600W power output and up to 21.4% module efficiency.

“We have long had a vision to manufacture solar products in the United States, and we are proud of the jobs we are creating and the investment we are making in the Wilmer community,” said Steven Zhu, president of Trina Solar US. “Trina’s goal in building this facility is to begin to create an ecosystem of American manufacturing that can serve the burgeoning US solar market.”

Electrek’s Take

Trina’s big announcement is a win for the Biden administration, as it’s not hyperbole to say that it’s a direct result of not only the Inflation Reduction Act’s requirements for domestic solar manufacturing, but also the US Department of Commerce’s (DOC) recent tariff slap on Trina’s China-made solar panels. That tariff slap happened because Changzhou-headquartered Trina Solar was one of five Chinese solar panel manufacturers that the DOC ruled in August were dodging US tariffs on China-made goods by processing components in Southeast Asian countries before shipping their solar products to the US.

In January, Trina Solar announced it would open a factory in Vietnam in order to comply with US trade laws – and this latest US factory announcement is the another step toward complying with US trade requirements, as the US is a big market for the solar panel maker.

Read more:

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*