en.Wedoany.com Reported - US solar cell manufacturer ES Foundry has completed the expansion of its 2GW solar cell production line at its Greenwood, South Carolina facility.

With the new production line operational, ES Foundry's total annual nameplate capacity has increased to 3GW, producing bifacial PERC solar cells. The company's CEO, Alex Zhu, explained to PV Tech Premium last year the strategic considerations behind choosing p-type technology over the currently dominant TOPCon technology in the market. Additionally, Zhu discussed the reasons for the delay in the new production line, originally scheduled to start production by the end of 2025, which only recently began producing solar cells.

PV Tech Market Research analyst Joe Hennessy noted: "Choosing PERC is due to the political challenges currently facing TOPCon manufacturing in the US. In the coming years, it will be interesting to see which technology, HJT or TOPCon, becomes more attractive to cell and module buyers." Hennessy believes that as the US solar industry focuses on expanding domestic manufacturing capacity and narrowing the gap between cell and module annual nameplate capacity, ES Foundry's expansion is a significant milestone for the US cell manufacturing sector.

Data from PV Tech Market Research in April this year indicates that cell manufacturing will be one of the main drivers of expected growth in global capital expenditure, with the US and India accelerating the expansion of domestic photovoltaic production capacity. Spending related to solar cell production is expected to grow from $6.4 billion in 2025 to $9.9 billion in 2026.

ES Foundry began producing solar cells for its first production line in February 2025. Alex Zhu stated: "This milestone is about execution. The US solar market no longer needs more announcements—it needs operational capacity, mature production systems, and domestic suppliers that can immediately support customers. With the completion of the 2GW expansion, total capacity reaching 3GW, and the first cell rolling off the new line, ES Foundry is helping to close one of the most critical gaps in the US solar supply chain."

Hennessy added: "As a pure-play cell manufacturer, all of its cells will go to the open market. This differs from many other capacities under construction, which will primarily be used for internal supply." Expanding the full US supply chain has become a core topic at the PV CellTech USA conference, to be held in San Francisco from October 13 to 14, 2026, which will bring together innovators, policymakers, and supply chain leaders driving the next generation of US wafer, cell, and module capacity.