US solar module production passes 100 GW cumulative landmark

Overview

Updated Sep 23

American factories have made 100 gigawatts of solar panels since the 1970s, a milestone crossed in spring 2026. More than 70% of that production came after 2022, when the Inflation Reduction Act began paying 7 cents per watt for domestic assembly.

The next step is cells and wafers, the parts inside panels. Qcells began making cells in Georgia in June, and Tesla filed a $10.1 billion plan for a Texas cell factory in July. First Solar, which made 39% of all panels ever built in America, remains the largest producer.

Why it matters

The US can now assemble most of the panels it installs but still imports the cells inside them. New plants aim to close that gap.

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Key Indicators

3.3 GW

Qcells Georgia cell capacity

First fully integrated US cell production, ramping since June 2026.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Mark Widmar

Chief executive, First Solar

Leading the largest US-headquartered solar manufacturer

Organizations Involved

First Solar

Solar manufacturer (Nasdaq: FSLR)

Dominant US producer; 39% of all domestic modules

The largest US solar manufacturer, making thin-film cadmium-telluride panels.

Terawatt PV Research

Manufacturing analytics firm

Produced the 100 GW cumulative production analysis

Specialist analytics firm that tracks solar manufacturing factory by factory.

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

Trade association

Tracks US solar manufacturing investment and capacity

Washington, D.C.-based trade group for the US solar industry.

Qcells (Hanwha Solutions)

Solar manufacturer

Operating the first fully integrated US ingot-to-module plant

South Korean-owned solar maker scaling US manufacturing in Georgia

Timeline

January 1973 September 2026

10 events Latest: September 22nd, 2026 · 2 months ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

September 2026
US solar capacity nears 300 GW
Latest Milestone

$18 billion invested in factory construction across 43 states; 75.3 GW of operational module capacity with 14.4 GW under construction.
September 22nd, 2026
Cumulative production hits 100 GW
Milestone

Terawatt PV Research reports total US module output reached 100 GW in Q2 2026.
September 21st, 2026
August 2026
SEG Solar opens 4 GW Tomball module factory
Business

Houston-area plant brings SEG to 6 GW annual capacity; a third 4.6 GW facility is planned for 2027, targeting 10.6 GW.
August 7th, 2026
July 2026
Tesla files $10.1B Texas cell factory plan
Business

Tax-incentive application for a solar cell and module plant on 3,050 acres near Richmond, Texas, under the codename Project Crystal Sun.
July 22nd, 2026
June 2026
Qcells starts Georgia cell production
Milestone

First US cell output from an integrated ingot-to-module plant. By Q3, 3.3 GW each of ingots, wafers, and cells plus 3.5 GW of modules, bringing annual US output with Dalton to 8.6 GW.
June 1st, 2026
February 2025
US capacity surpasses 50 GW
Milestone

SEIA reports the US is now the world's third-largest solar module producer.
February 4th, 2025
September 2024
First Solar opens Alabama plant
Business

A $1.1 billion, 3.5 GW factory pushes First Solar's US capacity toward 11 GW.
September 26th, 2024
August 2022
Inflation Reduction Act signed
Policy

Biden signs the IRA, creating the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit.
August 16th, 2022
February 2018
Section 201 tariffs applied
Policy

US tariffs on imported cells and modules prompt the first new c-Si assembly plants.
February 7th, 2018
January 1973
Early US solar factories open
Industry

Solarex and Arco Solar begin panel-making in Maryland and California.
January 1st, 1973

Scenarios

US builds out cells and closes the import gap

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: pv-magazine USA's 2027 capex outlook; IOPscience supply-chain study

Module assembly scaled first because 45X pays 7 cents per watt for finished panels. Cells, wafers, and ingots carry higher technical barriers. The IOPscience study projects the US would still import 60% of its cells and 89% of its ingots and wafers even in a best case. New cell and wafer facilities are in development; if they complete and run, the US moves toward genuine self-sufficiency.

Module glut triggers consolidation

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: PV Tech (c-Si plants running at about 61% utilization)

Fast module buildout is outpacing demand. PV Tech reports c-Si plants at roughly 61% utilization and thin film at 67%. If tariffs ease or the 45X credit weakens, marginal plants could close. A shakeout would concentrate production in the largest, most efficient players.

Congress modifies the 45X credit

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Policy analysts ahead of the post-2026 midterm Congress

The 45X credit is the engine of the entire buildout. The 2026 midterm elections could change the balance of power in Congress, and the credit's budget cost has grown as production ramped. A repeal or a rate reduction would slow or reverse the manufacturing wave by removing the economic case for new plants.

Tesla builds its Texas cell factory

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Morning Overview report on the Project Crystal Sun filing

Tesla filed a $10.1 billion tax-incentive application for a solar cell and module plant near Houston. Built as planned, it would be the largest single US cell investment. Tesla has announced and delayed factory plans before, so execution is the open question.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2006-2011

Solyndra and the first US solar wave (2006-2011)

Solyndra, a California thin-film startup, received a $535 million federal loan guarantee. In 2011, with Chinese silicon production glutting the market and panel prices collapsing, it filed for bankruptcy and laid off about 1,100 workers.

Then

The collapse became a political scandal and scared investors away from US solar factories.

Now

It left a lasting belief that US plants could not beat Chinese costs, the exact problem the IRA was designed to correct.

Why this matters now

It shows the earlier failure mode: US factories that depended on market prices alone struggled against subsidized Chinese scale. The IRA changed the economics by paying for domestic production directly.

2022-present

CHIPS Act semiconductor onshoring (2022)

Passed months before the IRA, the CHIPS and Science Act offered $52.7 billion to build US semiconductor fabrication plants. Companies announced dozens of fabs in a wave of onshoring.

Then

Assembly and leading-edge fabs advanced quickly across several states.

Now

Advanced packaging and some materials remain dependent on Asia, the same pattern of partial self-sufficiency.

Why this matters now

Both laws aim to rebuild critical manufacturing through subsidies and tax credits, and both face the same question: can upstream links follow the final assembly steps?