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T1 Energy and Corning today announced a new
partnership to boost the US solar supply chain.
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T1 will source hyper pure polysilicon and solar
wafers made by Corning at its plant in Michigan.
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Starting later next year, Corning wafers will
be delivered to T1’s G2 Austin Solar Cell
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facility, which is currently under development.
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The cells will then be used to make solar
modules at T1’s operational G1 Dallas site.
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T1’s G2 Austin 5 gigawatt solar cell facility
is an $850 million project.
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According to the company, the project is
enabled by the Trump administration’s tariffs
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and other policies that support American
manufacturing.
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The facility is expected to begin producing
cells by the end of 2026 and create up to 1800
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full-time jobs.
G2 Austin is a key part of T1’s strategy to
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build a domestic solar and battery supply chain.
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T1, formerly known as Norwegian company Freyr
Battery, is now based in Austin,
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Texas.
This February.
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It announced plans to shift its focus from lithium
battery development to American solar panel
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manufacturing with battery aspirations.
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Officials in Georgia may still have a sour
taste in their mouths when it comes to T1.
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When T1 rebranded earlier this year, it also
abandoned plans to build a massive electric
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battery factory in Noonan, which is near
Atlanta.
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The company said it was bailing on the $2.6
billion project that was set to hire more than
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700 people.
According to T1, the new agreement with Corning
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will create a more stable and predictable
supply of domestically sourced solar components
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by connecting American-made polysilicon wafers,
cells, and modules.
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This vertically integrated model supports
long-term planning,
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regulatory compliance, and energy resilience.
The company says.
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T1 says the US needs more electricity
immediately to compete in the global AI race
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and achieve energy independence.
The T1 Corning agreement addresses this urgency
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by unlocking the nation’s most scalable energy
source through a manufacturing
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base that spans Michigan and Texas.
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The company bought its solar panel factory from
top Chinese solar panel maker Trina Solar for
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$340 million last year.
This landmark supply chain agreement with
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Corning will help invigorate America with
scalable, reliable,
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low-cost energy, said Daniel Barcelo, T1’s
chief executive officer and chairman of the
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board.
This is American companies building in America.
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And protecting American energy security.
According to Barcelo,
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the US needs to establish critical energy
supply chains built on domestic capacity and
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industrial know-how.
AB Gosh, Corning, vice president and general
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manager of solar and chairman and CEO of
Hemlock Semiconductor,
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said the company is accelerating the ramp of
its advanced manufacturing capabilities to
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support a resilient US solar supply chain.
By building foundational infrastructure in
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Michigan, Corning hopes to add good paying
manufacturing jobs,
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strengthen the US solar industry, and advance a
more energy independent future for the US.
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I’m Anna Wells.
This is Manufacturing Now.