Bill will supercharge domestic solar energy manufacturing & strengthen American energy independence
Landmark bill heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House passed U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s historic legislation to boost American solar energy manufacturing.
Sen. Ossoff’s Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act (SEMA) will strengthen American energy independence, reduce dependence on Chinese imports, and reinvigorate the U.S. industrial sector — creating American jobs and accelerating the transition to renewable energy.
After passing the U.S. Senate last weekend, Sen. Ossoff’s bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Georgia is leading the way in solar manufacturing. Dalton, Georgia, hosts Qcells, the largest solar manufacturing facility in the Western hemisphere, which just announced a $171 million expansion with 470 new jobs.
“My Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act will boost U.S. production of solar technology and help Georgia continue to grow as a high-tech manufacturing and renewable energy powerhouse,” Sen. Ossoff said.
Top solar manufacturers and industry leaders see SEMA as the game-changer the solar industry desperately needs to rapidly expand production and bring key solar supply chains to the U.S.
“We are extremely grateful to Senator Ossoff for his tireless efforts to support clean energy manufacturing,”said Scott Moskowitz, Head of Market Strategy and Public Affairs for Qcells North America, which operates the largest solar manufacturing plant in the Western hemisphere in Dalton, Georgia. “The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act will make supply chains more resilient, energy more affordable, and dramatically lower carbon emissions. It will directly result in billions of dollars in investment and the hiring of thousands of manufacturing workers in Georgia and around the country. SEMA is a landmark bill and its passage marks a critical turning point for the entire clean energy industry.”
“Thanks to Senator Ossoff’s steadfast support for the American solar and storage industry in the reconciliation package, the United States is now on track to make historic investments in domestic manufacturing,”said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act will immediately spur private investments in production capacity across the solar supply chain, including batteries, helping to create thousands of manufacturing jobs and support our energy independence. For years, U.S. solar and storage businesses have been eager to make more manufacturing investments in the United States, and now with the right policies in place, we are one step closer to more American-made products and a domestic manufacturing renaissance.”
“Thank you to Senator Ossoff for his leadership in developing the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act and his tireless advocacy working with his colleagues to achieve this milestone,” the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Coalition said, comprised of more than a dozen of the leading solar manufacturers nationwide. “This provision, included in the Inflation Reduction Act, is a game changer for domestic solar manufacturing that will result in billions of dollars in investment across the United States and thousands of good paying clean energy manufacturing jobs across the country. The sooner we get this bill to President Biden’s desk, the sooner we can begin the solar manufacturing renaissance in America.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act is the most important piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. It will lead an energy transformation and catalyze American manufacturing. With production incentives championed by Senator Ossoff, it is possible to reshore the solar manufacturing value chain and reclaim American leadership in the world’s fastest growing energy segment,” Frank van Mierlo, CEO of CubicPV said. “CubicPV has the engineering team to execute quickly. The IRA makes it possible to create a large domestic silicon solar wafer industry. This Act will ensure future, disruptive solar technologies are scaled and commercialized at home. We applaud the tireless efforts and the foresight of all those responsible for getting us to this moment.
“We applaud the passage of 45X by the Senate and believe that it will have a significant impact not just on American solar manufacturing but on the effort to secure a supply chain crucial to our nation’s security and the fight against climate change,” said Mark Widmar, Chief Executive Officer of First Solar. “For the first time, solar manufacturers would benefit from a durable, long-term industrial policy designed to revitalize and expand domestic manufacturing and innovation at scale. If passed by the House and signed into law by the President, we can expect more American-made solar that is cleaner, free of human rights abuses, creates jobs and investment, and, ultimately, is an enabler of energy independence.”
“We are living an historic moment that will be celebrated for generations, the day when the US based solar manufacturing industry goes from cautiously growing to being able to thrive and globally lead,”said Martin Pochtaruk, President of Heliene.
“The Inflation Reduction Act is a game-changer for Auxin Solar and Auxin’s long-established history of manufacturing solar in the United States. Coupled with strong trade enforcement, the green energy incentives that will soon become available will allow Auxin Solar to immediately expand its production footprint to bring cutting-edge solar products to the market,”said Mamun Rashid, CEO of Auxin Solar.
“The Inflation Reduction Act will establish, for the first time in the solar market, an industrial policy framework that will create incentives for robust manufacturing so that American factories can compete head-to-head with overseas counterparts,” said Scott Graybeal, CEO of Caelux Corporation. “Domestic manufacturers can and will win given an even playing field created by this legislation.”
“Solar represents the most effective means to achieve clean energy goals in the United States. At Silfab, we applaud the expected passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and efforts by the Biden Administration to further invest in the solar industry,” said Silfak Chief Executive Officer Paolo Maccario. “Silfab Solar looks forward to continuing our US manufacturing expansions, incorporating the most-advanced solar technologies and meeting the industry and customer demand for leading edge solar products designed and manufactured in the United States.”
“The passage of 45x will have a dramatic impact on Leading Edge Equipment Technologies’ ability to raise private capital to accelerate bringing our low cost, low emissions, high power silicon wafer technology to full commercial scale. This is currently the critical missing link in a fully US-based supply chain for industry-leading silicon solar modules, and Leading Edge is poised to ramp our patent-protected wafer technology to the gigawatt scale by 2025,” said Rick Schwerdtfeger, CEO of Leading Edge Equipment Technologies.
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