Corning Expands Solar Manufacturing Capacity As US Demand Keeps Rising
The howling maniac who occupies the Oval Office has come up against an unstoppable force in the US solar industry, where there is money to be made regardless of federal energy policy. After all, presidents come and go, but the sun is forever, and the demand for clean, reliable, competitively priced kilowatts has nowhere to go but up. A case in point is the leading US firm Corning Incorporated, which has just expanded its domestic solar manufacturing footprint.
Here Comes The Honey Badger Of Solar Manufacturing
Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has choked off federal support for the US wind and solar industries. In particular, offshore wind stakeholders — including hundreds of US suppliers — suffered a lethal blow when Trump suspended, and then clawed back, federal offshore lease permits.
So much for shooting fish in a barrel. Onshore renewable energy stakeholders are less vulnerable to federal attack. The domestic solar industry can take advantage of innumerable sites on private land and other properties beyond federal jurisdiction. The onshore wind industry has been facing some setbacks but for solar, the whack-a-mole principle is in full effect. Solar arrays also have a scalability advantage, as amply demonstrated by the rooftop solar sector.
With all this in mind, it’s no mystery why some solar manufacturers have adopted a la-la-la-can’t-hear-you strategy for dealing with the abrupt shift in federal energy policy. The are sticking to their plans, and Corning has emerged as a leading example.
In March, Corning announced that is is moving forward with plans to hook up its new Hemlock Semiconductor venture with the leading firms Suniva and Heliene Inc., aiming to help solar manufacturers claim more federal tax credits for domestically sourced solar materials.
“The new module contains a solar cell with up to 66 percent domestic content—the highest percentage on the market,” Corning, Suniva, and Heliene explained in a joint press release dated March 6.
The agreement calls for Hemlock’s “hyper-pure polysilicon” to be deployed in wafers produced in Michigan, which will be sent to Georgia for fabrication into solar cells.
The Federal Solar Manufacturing Tax Credit Is Alive And Kicking
The success of the three-way partnership depends, of course, on whether or not Trump will succeed in clawing back the solar manufacturing tax credit. As of last month, Corning and its partners seemed confident that the effort would end in failure.
“In a joint press statement, the three partners indicate that the President’s fossil-friendly energy policy notwithstanding, they are banking on the US solar industry,” CleanTechnica observed in March. “They also suggest, somewhat obliquely, that Trump will fail to claw back the federal tax credits for domestic solar manufacturing.”
Here we are a few weeks later, and Corning still appears confident that the solar manufacturing tax credit will survive — and that demand for solar energy will continue to rise in the US. Earlier today, April 29, the company let word slip that it is expanding the capacity of the Hemlock facility.
“The company’s increased manufacturing capacity will enable Corning to supply high-quality solar wafers and help strengthen the domestic solar supply chain with industry-leading solar manufacturers,” Corning announced. The company also drew attention to the hookup with Suniva and Heliene, which enables the partners to claim that they produce “the only solar module made with polysilicon, wafers, and cells manufactured in the U.S.”
Mississippi: The Solar Canary In The Coal Mine
In today’s press release, Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell P. Weeks pointed out the obvious, noting that the Hemlock expansion supports “the increasing demand for US-sourced solar products.”
As for where that increasing demand is coming from, just take a look over at Mississippi, a deep red state where solar adoption has been slow on the uptake. Appearances can be deceiving, though. Despite the state’s conservative politics, money talks, and solar activity is on the uptick.
The Mississippi news organization Clarion Ledger took a deep dive into the topic on April 25, noting that demand for solar energy in Mississippi is pushing the solar industry forward even though statewide policies offer virtually no assistance.
Clarion Ledger cites several factors that are offsetting the lack of support from state policy makers, including the availability of federal and local tax incentives and a copious amount of existing grid infrastructure along with “increasing energy demand from new businesses.”
“Continued growth is expected due to increasing energy demands, corporate clean energy goals, and the affordability of solar power,” Clarion Ledger summarizes.
Here Comes Amazon, Again
Speaking of corporate clean energy goals, although plans for a green hydrogen hub in Mississippi hit a snag last fall, state officials did incentivize the construction of a major new EV battery factory for the truck market, and Nissan is fine tuning its plans for manufacturing electric vehicles in the state. The Solar Energy Industries Association also notes that Mississippi currently hosts four solar manufacturing ventures of various types.
Amazon is also counting on Mississippi to fulfill its demand for clean power. On February 19, the firm EDP Renewables noted that Amazon has claimed all 100 megawatts from its new 100-megawatt Ragsdale solar farm in Madison County through a 15-year power purchase agreement.
“This newest project solidifies EDP’s position as a leading renewable energy developer in the southern United States,” EDP explains, hinting there’s plenty more from where that came from.
“Approximately $34.6 million will be paid in taxes over the life of the project to local governments and will go towards enhancing schools, roads, and other essential services,” EDP notes, adding that local landowners are collectively realizing about $15 million worth of solar lease income.
Aside from the economic benefits, which are all the more beneficial considering the looming recession sparked by Trump’s unforced trade wars, EDP also calculates that the solar farm will save more than 127 million gallons of water annually compared to conventional power plants.
Toyota is another example of a leading corporate energy buyer driving solar adoption in Mississippi. Last month, the US firm Deriva Energy (a Brookfield company) hit the go button on its new Wildflower solar farm, which has been contracted by Toyota to fulfill its clean power goals.
Wildflower is Deriva’s first venture in Mississippi. And, probably not the last. As with EDP, Deriva anticipates a fresh burst of demand for solar energy in Mississippi and throughout the southeast. “We are excited to expand our renewable energy footprint into the southeast and support the state’s industrial complex and job-base with sustainable, zero-emission energy,” emphasized Deriva CEO John Clapp.
“Mississippi is an important state for us, where we manufacture the Corolla,” added Toyota Motor North America sustainability manager Becky Martin in a press statement.
Stay tuned for more. As noted by the Clarion Ledger, the leading firm Apex Clean Energy is also staking out its claim to the Mississippi solar industry field.
Image (cropped): The US solar manufacturing sector is ramping up to meet the rising demand for clean power, regardless of pushback from the White House (courtesy of Corning Incorporated).
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