High-efficiency perovskite-silicon solar panel manufacturer Tandem PV has opened a commercial demonstration factory in Fremont, California.
The move signals an important step toward commercializing domestically manufactured next-generation solar panels for utility-scale projects, demonstrating that perovskite-silicon tandem panels can be successfully produced in the U.S. at scale.
The 65,000-square-foot Fremont site will utilize state-of-the-art equipment and house a production line with approximately 40 megawatts (MW) of annual nameplate capacity.
Tandem PV’s proprietary technology combines a thin perovskite light-absorbing layer with a conventional silicon solar cell, leading to higher efficiency and lower overall costs for labor, land, and balance of systems, which account for about 75% of utility-scale solar deployment costs.
“This factory marks the shift from impressive R&D results to repeatable manufacturing at a commercially meaningful scale,” said Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton, in a statement. “People have talked for years about the promise of perovskites. This is what it looks like to deliver. It is an important milestone in restoring American leadership in solar manufacturing through the kind of breakthrough engineering Silicon Valley is known for.”
Production has already begun for the initial modules; Tandem PV will start sending shipments to support customer validation trials later this year. The company anticipates selling its first commercial panels from the facility in 2026 and begin high-volume manufacturing in 2028.
Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. energy secretary, added, “Utility-scale perovskites are here. Tandem PV is delivering an ingenious product that can help provide more clean power with a smaller footprint and meaningful cost savings as we scale deployment in the United States.”
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