Enel intends to build US solar PV cell & panel plant
Enel North America, through its affiliate 3Sun USA, says that it intends to build an industrial-scale production facility in the US for the manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) modules.
The proposed facility is expected to have a minimum production capacity of 3 GW with the possibility to scale production to 6 GW annually and is anticipated to create up to 1,500 new direct jobs by 2025. The facility is also expected to be among the first in the United States to produce solar cells.
"With this announcement, it is our intention to bolster a robust domestic solar supply chain that accelerates and strengthens the US's transition to clean energy. In doing so, we are creating thousands of new jobs, supporting local economies and providing stability to the solar industry," says Enrico Viale, head of Enel North America, in a press release.
Currently, the company is evaluating possible sites for the new factory and expects to begin construction in mid-2023. It's anticipated that the first panels will be available to the market by the end of 2024.
Fewer than five large-scale solar module manufacturing facilities (over 1 GW) are currently operating in the US, while annual US solar PV installations are projected to grow from 16 GW in 2022 to 41 GW by the end of 2025, according to Wood Mackenzie.
Enel will leverage its expertise and experience from its 3Sun Gigafactory in Catania, Italy –which is set to become Europe's largest factory producing high-performance bifacial photovoltaic modules – and replicate the Gigafactory factory in the US.
