Zhejiang Hounen Photoelectricity Co Ltd (Hounen), a Chinese solar panel producer, plans to invest $33 million in a proposal to construct its first solar panel factory in the US. The governor’s office of South Carolina has confirmed Hounen’s plans. This facility will produce solar modules for the US market.
Hounen Solar plans to lease a 200,720 sq ft facility in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, in order to set up a 1 GW production base here. The facility will produce and sell crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) panels. The plan is expected to create 200 new jobs.
In January 2023, JA Solar unveiled a plan to build a 2 GW PV panel factory in the US state of Arizona. As per the company’s statement, it has already leased land for the manufacturing facility at an unspecified location in Phoenix, Arizona. The factory is expected to start commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2023. More recently, Longi Solar and Invenergy agreed to jointly construct a 5 GW solar panel unit in Ohio.
REGlobal’s Views: Hounen is the third company to announce its manufacturing plans in the US ever since the release of the Inflation Reduction Act. As US is expected to witness massive increase in solar power installations in the near future, foreign manufacturers are setting up bases within the country to cater to this market and avoid solar import barriers.
