Inox Solar Americas has announced that its upcoming solar cell manufacturing facility in Greenville, North Carolina, is on track to begin production during Q2 2027.

With an annual production capacity of 3 GW, the 515,460 square foot facility is “a key part” of the company’s overall strategy in the U.S., officials say. As the North Carolinian firm looks to create a vertically integrated solar manufacturing platform in the U.S., the new facility will serve as a centerpiece of that plan.

Officials say the plant’s PV cell production will complement its existing module manufacturing capabilities once the Greenville facility is complete. The company aims to provide customers with greater access than ever to American-made solar technology, and create a transparent and resilient supply chain.

“Our continued progress on U.S. PV cell manufacturing represents an important step in building a more integrated and resilient domestic solar supply chain,” says Ashok Nair, president and CEO of Inox Solar Americas. “By bringing advanced cell technology, high-performance module manufacturing, and rigorous quality control together within our U.S. manufacturing platform, we are strengthening our ability to support customers with reliable supply and the bankability required for their project pipelines.”

Inox’s strategy is designed to increase domestic content across the whole of the firm’s portfolio, officials say. But alongside product proliferation, the firm says the new plant will have an even more important effect.

Insulating Inox’s production

The Greenville plant is a safeguard against the U.S. manufacturing industry’s domestic content requirements, including Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) and Prohibited Foreign Entity (PFE) considerations. The firm says the new plant will provide company- and industry-wide protection against these requirements, as they continue to evolve and change with federal energy policy.

Additionally, the new plant will provide visibility and control to Inox and its customers. As the status of the solar supply chain continues to hang in the air, partially thanks to FEOC and PFE restrictions, control of critical stages of that chain is crucial.

“Inox Solar Americas is strengthening supplier qualification, component-origin documentation, material traceability, production records, and supply-chain due diligence to support customers seeking greater transparency regarding where and how their products are manufactured,” the company says.

“Increased domestic production is also designed to reduce dependence on imported PV cells, mitigate exposure to global supply disruptions and trade-related risks, and provide more reliable product availability for U.S. project pipelines.”

The Greenville factory will integrate Galaxion-brand PV cell technology with Inox’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial PV modules. Deliveries will begin shortly after the plant’s anticipated operational date of Q2 2027.

— Solar Builder magazine