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ES Foundry, a silicon solar manufacturer headquartered in Greenwood, South Carolina, has announced that it has reached its full 3-GW manufacturing capacity. The company initiated production on its first 1-GW line in 2025 and has now finished its 2-GW expansion line.
Alex Zhu, CEO of ES Foundry, emphasized that the U.S. solar market requires operational capacity and proven production rather than additional announcements. He noted that with the 2-GW expansion completed, total capacity now stands at 3 GW, and the first cell has been produced on the new line, helping to address a significant gap in the U.S. solar supply chain.
The Greenwood facility manufactures bifacial PERC solar cells. The company’s production platform is built to support high-volume manufacturing, strict quality standards, and the documentation that customers increasingly demand as solar procurement focuses on domestic content, FEOC compliance, supply chain transparency, and long-term reliability.
Zhu stated that customers seek manufacturing partners capable of producing, documenting, and delivering, not just promising capacity. He added that this expansion enhances the company’s ability to support customers at scale while contributing to a more resilient and competitive U.S. solar supply chain.
The completed expansion also bolsters ES Foundry’s growing economic impact in Greenwood County. Since starting operations, the company has hired over 400 people, creating high-quality advanced manufacturing jobs and supporting workforce development in the region. As production increases, ES Foundry’s investment is expected to continue generating opportunities for local workers, suppliers, and the broader community.
Lionel Moss, General Manager of Operations at ES Foundry, remarked that Greenwood has been an excellent partner, highlighting that the community possesses the workforce, infrastructure, and commitment necessary for large-scale advanced manufacturing. He confirmed that the company has already hired more than 400 people, and this expansion allows it to continue delivering jobs, investment, and long-term economic value to the area.
With the full 3-GW manufacturing capacity now operational, ES Foundry is recognized as the second-largest silicon cell manufacturer in the United States, trailing only Qcells, which started production at its 3.5-GW plant in Georgia last month. Canadian Solar recently began cell production on its 2.1-GW line in Indiana, and Suniva operates its own 1-GW plant in Georgia.
Interactive table based on the Store Companies dataset for this report.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in the United States, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in the United States.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for the United States. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the United States. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in the United States.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in the United States.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for the United States.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
Major US solar manufacturer
Residential & commercial solar
Former Cree LED business
Spin-off from SunPower
Specialty & high-power LEDs
LED technology & solutions
Advanced photonics
Residential solar panels
CIGS solar technology
US & Canadian manufacturing
North American manufacturing
US-made solar panels
US operations of Korean parent
3D architecture LEDs
High-quality lighting
High-brightness microdisplays
Disinfection & purification
US crystalline silicon solar
Next-generation tandem cells
Tandem cell technology
Manufacturing equipment
Turnkey production lines
Distributor & assembler
Residential & commercial
Former Philips business
Specialty & horticultural
Military & commercial
Aluminum nitride substrates
Materials for UV LEDs
US division of Kyocera
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