A gaggle of U.S. Senators sent a letter yesterday to Sec. of the Treasury Janet Yellen asking for her division to reconfigure pointers set forth inside the Inflation Low cost Act to encourage silicon picture voltaic wafer manufacturing within the USA.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) led the group of Senators to induce the Biden Administration for this transformation. Ossoff was joined by Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
Illustration exhibiting the phases of creating silicon picture voltaic panels. Illustration by Al Hicks/NREL
The home content material bonus credit score all through the Inflation Low cost Act provides a bonus credit score rating to picture voltaic energy installers that use American-made merchandise. To make sure that picture voltaic panels qualify as “American-made,” the Treasury Dept. acknowledged the panels ought to use cells made within the USA. The group of senators is asking that picture voltaic panels not be considered American-made till they use residence wafers, taking the requirements one step backward on the picture voltaic panel present chain.
“To cultivate a robust residence manufacturing enterprise, disrupt China’s dominance of the picture voltaic present chain and bolster U.S. energy and nationwide security, these important picture voltaic energy parts should be manufactured within the USA. Your current steering, which attracts the highway on the cell stage, falls in want of that mandatory goal,” the Senators wrote within the letter.
For the time being, there are not any silicon picture voltaic cells or wafer producers within the USA. Qcells in Georgia is developing its private inclusive silicon ingot-wafer-cell-panel manufacturing facility and may seemingly be the first inside the nation to secure residence silicon cells (and wafers). First Picture Voltaic manufactures cadmium-telluride thin-film picture voltaic panels by a novel vapor deposition course that technically qualifies as wafer and cell manufacturing. As of the current day, solely First Picture voltaic panels made in Ohio qualify for the house content material materials bonus as-written.
The senators argue that the one technique to interrupt China’s dominance on the picture voltaic supplies chain is to hold wafer manufacturing to the USA. Wafer progress is concentrated in China and Southeast Asia by Chinese language language producers.
“It is essential that any legal guidelines or steering be consistent with the legislative intent of Congress and ship a robust signal that the USA prioritizes the occasion of a powerful, lasting marketplace for American-made wafers and polysilicon. We stand devoted to working with you to assist U.S. workers, end China’s administration of the picture voltaic market, and develop a robust residence picture voltaic manufacturing enterprise to ensure U.S. energy security, monetary progress, and nationwide security,” the senators concluded.
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