Hello, solar enthusiasts! I come to you today with some exciting news from the solar industry, specifically pertaining to solar companies in the US. Today, I will divert your attention toward one such company, Norsun, and their ambitious planned investment in the heart of America – Tulsa, Oklahoma.
You might need to sit down for this. Our Norwegian friends plan to invest an enormous sum, $620 million, to be precise, in a brand-new silicon ingot and solar wafer manufacturing facility. The facility, to be constructed on an expansive 60-acre greenfield site, will have an impressive production capacity of 5 GW. Quite a leap for solar array solutions for homes, isn’t it?
There’s been a distinct lack of such facilities in the US, a gap the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has also attempted to address. It pushed solar module manufacturers to set up shop domestically, but alas, we remained mainly beholden to the all-too-familiar imports from China for our solar panels for homes, with very few factories actually planning for ingot, wafer, and cell production.
That’s about to change, as Norsun aims to kickstart production at their new plant by 2026. This exciting new venture promises not just to breathe life into the domestic supply chain of silicon ingots and wafers, but also generate 320 jobs for the good folks in Tulsa.
Now here’s an extra bit of good news. Norsun, being the ambitious solar company they are, have stated production capability can be cranked up to a staggering 10 GW! So what does this mean for the average Joe seeking solar panels for their home? It means increased access to domestic products and a reduced dependence on imports.
Norsun’s CEO Erik Løkke-Øwre has shared his enthusiasm about Oklahoma’s clean energy efficiency and its competitive ecosystem, something that significantly influenced the company’s decision to establish there. The expansion of the solar company was also facilitated by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.
So, in a nutshell, the future looks bright (pun intended) for the solar industry and for anyone interested in a solar array for their home. With companies like Norsun bringing innovative strides to the industry, the domestic market is poised for some powerful leaps. Stay tuned, solar enthusiasts! We are operationally charged and ready to harness the sun for our sustainable future.
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/06/26/solar-ingot-and-wafer-manufacturing-coming-to-oklahoma/
