Maxeon Solar Technologies Announces First U.S. Factory to be Built in New Mexico

Global solar company, Maxeon Solar Technologies, announced that it will build its first U.S. factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The new facility will make advanced solar cells and panels using TOPCon and shingled-cell technologies and will serve both utility and rooftop solar markets in the U.S. The project represents an investment of $1 billion and is expected to get a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The new facility will be the first of its kind in New Mexico and one of the largest in the U.S. with a planned capacity of three gigawatts, which could be increased to 4.5 gigawatts later. Construction on the 160-acre site will start in early 2024 and the production will begin in 2025. Maxeon estimates that the factory will create up to 1,800 jobs and produce millions of solar panels each year. The factory will also help boost the domestic solar supply chain and reduce carbon emissions. Maxeon is a leader in solar innovation with over 1,000 patents and two product lines: Maxeon® and SunPower®. The company has operations in more than 100 countries and has a history of 35 years in the solar industry.

Said Bill Mulligan, CEO of Bill Mulligan, "Thanks to the support of the Biden administration, the U.S. is now poised to re-shore and scale up a domestic solar supply chain. This will enhance national energy security and create a new cadre of well-paying manufacturing jobs. Maxeon is well positioned to play a significant role in this process by virtue of our proven experience in deploying and operating world-class solar cell and panel technology. We see tremendous opportunity to help the country advance its clean energy agenda while generating strong local economic impact," said Bill Mulligan, Maxeon CEO.

The solar industry in the U.S. has been growing rapidly in recent years. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. solar industry installed 6.1 gigawatts-direct current (GWdc) of capacity in the first quarter of 2023, a 47% increase from Q1 2022, and overall, photovoltaic solar (PV) accounted for 54% of all new electricity-generating capacity additions in the first quarter of 2023.