Boviet Solar plans U.S. solar module, cell manufacturing

Vietnam-based solar PV module manufacturer Boviet Solar Technology Co. is investing $294 million to open its first U.S-based solar module plant. Planned for Greenville, North Carolina, the solar module manufacturing facility will get up and running in two phases: phase 1 will produce modules, and phase two will produce solar cells.

“Our dreams of producing our PV modules in the U.S. finally come to realization,” said Jimmy Xie, General Manager of Boviet Solar. “We are proud of bringing our manufacturing excellence to our most important solar market, creating jobs, and making a positive impact on North Carolina’s economy. We are committed to expanding solar as a widely used renewable energy source in the U.S. and delivering locally made, top-performing PV modules to accelerate the advent of the global renewable revolution.”

The PV module manufacturing facility will produce Boviet Solar’s TOPCon N-Type Monofacial and Bifacial PV modules for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale U.S. clients. Official opening and mass production of the factory is scheduled for Q1 2025.

“We are excited about the establishment of a manufacturing facility in North Carolina, which will allow us to bring ‘Made in USA’ products to the market,” said Scott Chen, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at Boviet Solar. “By localizing production, we are confident in offering enhanced flexibility, reliability, and agility in meeting client demands.”

Phase one of the project will utilize the existing building to manufacture solar modules. Phase two will include constructing a state-of-the-art 500,000 to 600,000-square-foot factory on 34 acres to manufacture PV cells. This location is expected to output 2 GW of solar panels and 2 GW of PV cells annually.

This will be Boviet Solar’s first United States manufacturing facility and just its second manufacturing facility globally, following its successful track record of PV cell and module production in Vietnam.

“It’s great to welcome Boviet Solar to North Carolina,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “This decision has proven yet again that North Carolina is a hub for clean energy, offering advanced manufacturers a skilled workforce, an excellent quality of life, and affordable communities to support its work in sustainability.”

More on Boviet

The U.S. solar industry has been key for Boviet Solar since it first entered the market in 2015. Boviet Solar has also been a Bloomberg New Energy Finance Tier 1 PV Module Manufacturer since 2017. The company offers financial and business stability, technology expertise, manufacturing excellence, top-performing PV modules, strong ESG protocol, and supply chain transparency.

Boviet Solar’s PV modules are known for their power, performance, and quality and have been rated as top performers on PVEL’s PV Module Reliability Scorecard since 2019. Boviet’s Vega Series 540W Bifacial PV Modules for utility-scale projects were not only named as Top Performers in PVEL’s 2023 PV Module Reliability Scorecard but also demonstrated exceptional performance in PVEL’s Hail Stress Sequence (HSS).

This testing employs lab-manufactured ice balls to subject modules to the equivalent impact energy of natural hail and simulate post–hail impact field conditions to assess potential power loss. The results allow buyers to benchmark the hail resistance of different PV modules.

“Across the past year of hail testing and dozens of modules tested, Boviet Solar’s double glass modules were one out of only a couple module models where neither sample tested experienced breakage in our 50-mm-diameter hail test. We typically see a greater than 85 percent glass breakage rate for double glass modules in this test. Boviet Solar’s glass backsheet modules also showed impressive results,” Erion-Lorico said.

Participation in PVEL’s PQP and Scorecard is voluntary for manufacturers. Boviet Solar’s PV modules are known for their power, performance, and quality and have been rated as Top Performers on PVEL’s Scorecard since 2019.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/news/boviet-solar-plans-u-s-solar-module-cell-manufacturing/]