Solar

JA Solar establishing 2 GW manufacturing plant in Phoenix

JA Solar establishing 2 GW manufacturing plant in Phoenix
(Installing a low-income community solar array with students from Leech Lake Tribal College in Minnesota. Photo Credit: Jason Edens)

China-based solar cell and module manufacturer JA Solar has announced plans to establish a 2 GW production facility in Phoenix, Arizona, its first in the U.S.

The plant is expected to be operational by the end of next year. JA Solar said the $60 million investment will create 600 new jobs.

JA Solar will serve the residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets with the Phoenix facility.

Manufacturers throughout the solar supply chain have announced expansions in the U.S. following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Solar module manufacturer Meyer Burger has also announced an expansion in Arizona, as have battery manufacturers Sion Power and American Battery Factory.

The Factor This! podcast, recorded live from RE+ in Anaheim, analyzed the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on domestic solar manufacturing. "The race is on to meet demand with made-in-America solar modules" featured Lightsourcebp Americas CEO Kevin Smith, Cypress Creek Renewables VP of Engineering Luke O'Dea, and Qcells North America Head of Market Strategy and Public Affairs Scott Moskowitz. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

A report published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory last October found that manufacturers had announced around 42 GW of additional module capacity and 10-15 GW of cell and wafer capacity since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides deployment-related tax credits through the residential clean energy credit, investment tax credit, and production tax credit. It also incentivizes domestic manufacturing through the advanced energy project credit and the advanced manufacturing production credit.

There is also $500 million for the Defense Production Act, some of which could be used for solar manufacturing.