Suniva to build 4.5 GW solar cell factory in South Carolina with $350 million investment

Suniva has announced plans to build a 4.5 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Laurens, South Carolina, with a projected opening in Q2 2027. The $350 million investment, creating over 550 jobs, will bring the company's total US domestic solar cell capacity to over 5.5 GW annually, making it the largest merchant solar cell manufacturer in the country.

Suniva has announced agreements to build a state-of-the-art 4.5 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Laurens, South Carolina, with projected opening in the second quarter of 2027, according to an official announcement. The 620,000 square-foot facility represents an investment of over $350 million and will create over 550 jobs. Combined with Suniva's existing facility in metro Atlanta, the company's total domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity will exceed 5.5 GW annually, the largest of any merchant solar cell manufacturer in the United States.

Suniva is the largest and oldest US manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells, founded in 2007 from US Department of Energy-funded research at Georgia Tech's University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics. The company is the only merchant solar cell manufacturer in the United States that is both American-owned and American-operated, with leadership, technology, workforce, and manufacturing rooted in the US.

This development matters for US energy security and domestic manufacturing, as access to domestically produced solar cells reduces reliance on foreign supply chains and geopolitical disruption. Solar energy is positioned as the fastest and most economical way to grow the nation's energy supply.

For the solar manufacturing industry, the expansion represents a direct contribution to domestic production capacity at a time when the grid increasingly depends on renewable energy. Stakeholders including project developers, utilities, and construction firms stand to benefit from expanded US-based supply. The partnership with South Carolina continues the company's legacy of American-first solar manufacturing, creating high-quality durable employment in advanced manufacturing and clean energy sectors.