Join CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and high level summariesjoin our daily newsletterand/or follow us on Google News!
The howling maniac who occupies the Oval Workplace has come up towards an unstoppable pressure within the US photo voltaic business, the place there may be cash to be made no matter federal power coverage. In spite of everything, presidents come and go, however the solar is eternally, and the demand for clear, dependable, competitively priced kilowatts has nowhere to go however up. A living proof is the main US agency Corning Integrated, which has simply expanded its home photo voltaic manufacturing footprint.
Right here Comes The Honey Badger Of Photo voltaic Manufacturing
Since taking workplace on January 20, President Donald Trump has choked off federal help for the US wind and photo voltaic industries. Particularly, offshore wind stakeholders — together with lots of of US suppliers — suffered a deadly blow when Trump suspended, after which clawed again, federal offshore lease permits.
A lot for capturing fish in a barrel. Onshore renewable power stakeholders are much less weak to federal assault. The home photo voltaic business can make the most of innumerable websites on personal land and different properties past federal jurisdiction. The onshore wind business has been dealing with some setbacks however for photo voltaic, the whack-a-mole precept is in full impact. Photo voltaic arrays even have a scalability benefit, as amply demonstrated by the rooftop photo voltaic sector.
With all this in thoughts, it’s no thriller why some photo voltaic producers have adopted a la-la-la-can’t-hear-you technique for coping with the abrupt shift in federal power coverage. The are sticking to their plans, and Corning has emerged as a number one instance.
In March, Corning introduced that’s is transferring ahead with plans to hook up its new Hemlock Semiconductor enterprise with the main companies Suniva and Heliene Inc., aiming to assist photo voltaic producers declare extra federal tax credit 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 defined in a joint press launch dated March 6.
The settlement requires Hemlock’s “hyper-pure polysilicon” to be deployed in wafers produced in Michigan, which will probably be despatched to Georgia for fabrication into photo voltaic cells.
The Federal Photo voltaic Manufacturing Tax Credit score Is Alive And Kicking
The success of the three-way partnership relies upon, after all, on whether or not or not Trump will achieve clawing again the photo voltaic manufacturing tax credit score. As of final month, Corning and its companions appeared assured that the trouble would finish 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 noticed in March. “They also suggest, somewhat obliquely, that Trump will fail to claw back the federal tax credits for domestic solar manufacturing.”
Right here we’re a couple of weeks later, and Corning nonetheless seems assured that the photo voltaic manufacturing tax credit score will survive — and that demand for photo voltaic power will proceed to rise within the US. Earlier immediately, April 29, the corporate let phrase slip that it’s increasing the capability 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 introduced. The corporate additionally drew consideration to the hookup with Suniva and Heliene, which permits the companions to say that they produce “the only solar module made with polysilicon, wafers, and cells manufactured in the U.S.”
Mississippi: The Photo voltaic Canary In The Coal Mine
In immediately’s press launch, Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell P. Weeks identified the apparent, noting that the Hemlock growth helps “the increasing demand for US-sourced solar products.”
As for the place that growing demand is coming from, simply have a look over at Mississippi, a deep pink state the place photo voltaic adoption has been gradual on the uptake. Appearances might be deceiving, although. Regardless of the state’s conservative politics, cash talks, and photo voltaic exercise is on the uptick.
The Mississippi information group Clarion Ledger took a deep dive into the subject on April 25, noting that demand for photo voltaic power in Mississippi is pushing the photo voltaic business ahead though statewide insurance policies provide nearly no help.
Clarion Ledger cites a number of components which can be offsetting the dearth of help from state coverage makers, together with the supply of federal and native tax incentives and a copious quantity of present grid infrastructure together 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.
Right here Comes Amazon, Once more
Talking of company clear power targets, though plans for a green hydrogen hub in Mississippi hit a snag final fall, state officers did incentivize the development of a serious new EV battery factory for the truck market, and Nissan is ok tuning its plans for manufacturing electric vehicles within the state. The Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation additionally notes that Mississippi at the moment hosts 4 photo voltaic manufacturing ventures of varied varieties.
Amazon can be relying on Mississippi to meet its demand for clear energy. On February 19, the agency EDP Renewables famous that Amazon has claimed all 100 megawatts from its new 100-megawatt Ragsdale photo voltaic farm in Madison County by way of a 15-year energy buy settlement.
“This newest project solidifies EDP’s position as a leading renewable energy developer in the southern United States,” EDP explains, hinting there’s a lot extra from the place that got here 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, including that native landowners are collectively realizing about $15 million value of photo voltaic lease earnings.
Except for the financial advantages, that are all of the extra helpful contemplating the looming recession sparked by Trump’s unforced commerce wars, EDP additionally calculates that the photo voltaic farm will save greater than 127 million gallons of water yearly in comparison with standard energy vegetation.
Toyota is one other instance of a number one company power purchaser driving photo voltaic adoption in Mississippi. Final month, the US agency Deriva Vitality (a Brookfield firm) hit the go button on its new Wildflower photo voltaic farm, which has been contracted by Toyota to meet its clear energy targets.
Wildflower is Deriva’s first enterprise in Mississippi. And, in all probability not the final. As with EDP, Deriva anticipates a recent burst of demand for photo voltaic power in Mississippi and all through 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,” emphasised Deriva CEO John Clapp.
“Mississippi is an important state for us, where we manufacture the Corolla,” added Toyota Motor North America sustainability supervisor Becky Martin in a press assertion.
Keep tuned for extra. As famous by the Clarion Ledgerthe main agency Apex Clean Energy can be staking out its declare to the Mississippi photo voltaic business area.
Picture (cropped): The US photo voltaic manufacturing sector is ramping as much as meet the rising demand for clean powerno matter pushback from the White Home (courtesy of Corning Integrated).
Whether or not you will have solar energy or not, please full our latest solar power survey.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Wish to promote? Wish to recommend a visitor for our CleanTech Discuss podcast? Contact us here.
Join our day by day publication for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or join our weekly one on top stories of the week if day by day is just too frequent.
CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage here.
CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy
