Issue No. 1

Welcome to "Frankly Speaking," your monthly go-to source for the latest news and insights in solar manufacturing. I'm Frank Andorka, former editorial director of Solar Power World. Each edition will explore the most pressing issues, innovative technologies, and policy developments shaping solar manufacturing. This newsletter is proudly brought to you by Akhia , a full-service, manufacturing-focused marketing communications company based in Hudson, Ohio.

As you all know, there’s a lot of news and policy coming out of the solar manufacturing segment as the United States tries to balance its domestic manufacturing goals with its current dependence on Chinese products to supply projects currently in the queue. Let’s dive in, shall we?

• PV Tech reports the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $71 million in various solar manufacturing projects in a further attempt to bolster domestic production. The funding is split between two programs focusing on silicon solar and thin-film solar technologies. You can read the full article here to find out who the lucky recipients are.
• At the same time the Biden administration is investing domestically, they are desperately trying to figure out how to handle the fact that China-based companies currently dominate the solar supply chain. This article from pv magazine USA highlights the challenges posed by our dependence and highlights the efforts of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition to rebuild the U.S. solar supply chain. Read the full article here.
• Eric Wesoff , editorial director and founder of Canary Media Inc. , is one of the best reporters in the solar industry. I’ve known Eric for more than a decade, and I’m always impressed with his insights, which is why this podcast with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the 美国宾夕法尼亚大学 caught my ear. Eric does a deep dive with the host, discussing the latest AD/CVD tariff complaint. As usual, his insights are worth hearing. For more details, you can access the podcast here.
• The MIT Technology Review had a revealing interview with the president and CEO of Chinese module manufacturer Canadian Solar Inc. who discusses the company’s strategic shift to move its solar module manufacturing from Asia to the United States. Spoiler alert: The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act played a huge role in the decision. The interview provides some interesting insights about how the Chinese manufacturers look at the U.S. market from an insider. You can read the full article on MIT Technology Review's website here.
• Solar Power World Senior Editor Billy Ludt reports the exciting news that the United States has surpassed 5 million solar installations, a significant milestone achieved just eight years after reaching 1 million in 2016. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables over half of these installations have been completed since 2020, with a significant boost from the Inflation Reduction Act. For more details, you can read the full article here.
• EDITED TO UPDATE: Thanks to Jeff Szczepanski for reaching out for clarification on the JinkoSolar Co. fire. He informed me that the fire was in China, not Vietnam as reported in the linked article, there were no injuries, and U.S. operations will not be affected.
• EDIT No. 2: While the second fire was originally reported in the linked article as being at a JA Solar factory, I cannot support that assertion. The story has since been changed to reflect a fire on the roof of a First Solar facility, which was handled by the facility's sprinkler system and firefighters. A spokesman for the company said the fire would not affect the company's operations. For more details, you can read the full article here.

Quick Hits:

Array Technologies has initiated construction on a new $50 million solar manufacturing campus in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, leveraging Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits. You can read the full article here.

Maxeon Solar Technologies has been notified by Nasdaq of noncompliance due to failing to file its full-year 2023 financial report on time. You can find details here.

Silfab Solar Inc. has received $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop U.S.-made back-contact N-type solar cells in South Carolina. To see how Silfab will deploy the money, click here.

ICYMI:

If you don’t already have a plan to integrate AI into your business, you will be left behind.

For insights into the manufacturing industry, you couldn’t do any better than Ben Brugler ’s ‘Ben Thinking’ newsletter. Take a look and sign up if you’re not already on the list. All the cool kids are doing it.

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If you’re a solar manufacturer and have news to share, you can send it my way at [email protected]. Until next month!