REC Silicon, a key domestic supplier for both the solar and electric vehicle industries, is shutting down its solar operations and is ramping up its presence in EV batteries.
The company, based in Norway and with its biggest factory in rural Washington state, announced last week that it would cease production of solar products because it couldn’t meet quality standards.
At the same time, REC Silicon said it would ramp up its making of silane, a gas that is foundational to a new battery chemistry that could enable the U.S. to compete with China.
The shift is a setback for America’s largest domestic solar manufacturer, Qcells North America, which runs two factories in Georgia. It is also likely to shift the fortunes of two EV battery supply-chain companies that together have received $400 million in grants from the Biden administration.
