ES Foundry reaches full 3-GW production capacity at cell factory in SC

ES Foundry, a solar cell manufacturer in Greenwood, South Carolina, has reached its full production capacity of 3 gigawatts (GW), a measure of how much solar power the plant's cells can generate each year. The company started with a 1-GW production line last year and has now completed a 2-GW expansion. The Greenwood plant makes bifacial PERC solar cells, a common cell technology, and the company says its production is built to meet the documentation and traceability standards buyers increasingly want, including proof that products meet domestic-content rules and other supply chain requirements.

This makes ES Foundry the second-largest silicon solar cell manufacturer in the country, behind Qcells, which recently started production at a 3.5-GW plant in Georgia. Other domestic cell makers include Canadian Solar, which just began production on a 2.1-GW line in Indiana, and Suniva, running a 1-GW plant in Georgia. The company also says it has hired more than 400 workers in Greenwood County since it began operating.

For homeowners, this is mainly a supply chain development rather than something that changes prices or rebates directly. More domestic cell manufacturing capacity can support solar installers who want to offer panels meeting U.S. content requirements, which sometimes factor into eligibility for certain incentives. If you're considering solar for your home, it may be worth asking installers whether the panels they offer use domestically produced cells, since that detail can matter for some rebate or tax credit programs depending on your state and current federal rules.