Suniva, Inc., the largest and oldest U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and Heliene, Inc., a customer-first provider of North American-made solar PV modules, today announced the execution of a three-year strategic sourcing contract.
Under the terms of the contract, Heliene will incorporate Suniva’s U.S.-made solar cells into its U.S.-made solar modules, with market availability beginning in mid-2024. Heliene’s modules will be the first crystalline solar modules with a U.S.-made solar cell. This contract is the result of solar project owners’ and developers’ desire for their projects to qualify for the 10% Domestic Content Bonus Investment Tax Credit, which can be obtained by using U.S. made cells based on The U.S. Department of Treasury’s guidance published in May 2023.
With this strategic partnership Heliene and Suniva are well-positioned to rapidly scale domestic cell and module manufacturing to meet the surging demand for secure and reliable domestically made crystalline PV modules. Currently, all U.S.-made solar crystalline modules use only imported cells. This partnership will directly address that gap in the U.S. solar supply chain and help strengthen manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand for domestic products.
“Heliene is proud to embark on this historic partnership with Suniva at a time when the U.S. is poised to capture a greater share of the global solar market by bolstering domestic manufacturing and onshoring of supply,” said Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Heliene. “Introducing Suniva’s U.S.-made cells into our manufacturing process will enable Heliene to expand its commitment to offering best-in-class modules that enable our customers to qualify for lucrative tax credits and incentives.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Heliene, who shares our vision for growing the United States’ solar PV supply chain,” said Cristiano Amoruso, CEO of Suniva. “This contract is a testament to the effectiveness of the Inflation Reduction Act and Treasury’s May 2023 domestic content guidance. We are proud to fulfill our long-standing promise to bring back cell manufacturing to the United States at our Norcross facility.”
