Residential and commercial storage provider SUNation Energy and U.S. merchant solar cell manufacturer Suniva have signed a definitive reverse merger agreement, the companies have announced.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026.

Under the terms of the deal, Suniva will merge with a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUNation. The combined firm will operate under the Suniva name and continue SUNation’s listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

SUNation CEO Scott Maskin says his company has spent the past two years transforming itself into a platform that is strong enough and resilient enough to handle the U.S. solar industry. The merger with SUNation is the “logical next step” for the firm, he adds.

“By bringing together Suniva’s U.S.-based solar cell manufacturing footprint with our high-growth residential, commercial and service businesses in some of the highest electricity-cost markets in the country, we believe we can deliver a unique domestic content offering for customers,” Maskin says. “SUNation’s residential and commercial capabilities, along with deep relationships with other leading installers across the country, should support Suniva and its module partners in accelerating American solar’s transition to a domestic supply chain.”

The new merger will allow Suniva, the U.S.’s only domestically owned and operated merchant solar cell manufacturer, will gain market presence across the country. The company already sports a 1 GW cell facility in Georgia, and will expand capacity by 4.5 GW in western South Carolina.

Establishing market leadership

Suniva CEO Tony Etnyre says the new deal will give his company the platform to better execute its solar scaling mission. Gaining access to major markets in the U.S. allows for deeper investment and further expansion into domestic manufacturing capacity, he adds.

“Suniva was built on the belief that America’s energy future must be built here at home,” Etnyre says. “As the first company to bring U.S. solar cell manufacturing back online, we believe we’ve proven the manufacturing model works – in metro Atlanta, and soon in Laurens, South Carolina. Along the way, we have learned from some of the best firms in the industry to develop American operating expertise in the highest-barrier layer of the domestic supply chain, the solar cell, and accelerate a productivity migration of solar manufacturing to the U.S.”

Under the merger, SUNation’s leadership will help Suniva to access residential and commercial markets the company has yet to venture into. The manufacturing firm says it is eager to work with existing partners to help grow its and SUNation’s reach.

“The U.S. has roughly 59 gigawatts of solar module-assembly capacity but only about 3 gigawatts of operational cell capacity, leaving module makers heavily reliant on imported cells,” SUNation representatives say. “Suniva intends to become the leading domestic solar cell supplier serving a more than 500 gigawatt market over the next decade.”

Tags: M&A, manufacturing, PV Modules, SUNation, Suniva