A Texas-based solar panel manufacturer said Friday that it had signed a deal to buy critical subcomponents from a factory in Michigan.
The deal announced by T1 Energy to buy wafers from Corning comes as solar-panel-makers scramble to comply with new trade restrictions under the Trump administration and meet tougher conditions for receiving tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the sweeping budget law signed by President Donald Trump.
“We have a clear line of sight for a domestic solar module,” said Russell Gold, a T1 spokesperson. “This is a sign that forward thinking companies are reorienting toward a domestic supply chain. It is what customers want and the best way to ensure surety of supply.”
The U.S. currently imports most of the solar panels it installs, largely made by Chinese companies working in Southeast Asia. But that has started to change. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 prompted a boom in American solar module factories, as panel-makers rushed to take advantage of the law’s generous tax credits. T1 purchased a new module factory near Dallas from the Chinese panel manufacturer Trina Solar late last year.
