Maxeon Solar Technologies held an official ribbon cutting at its expanded solar panel manufacturing plant in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
Maxeon invested $70 million into the Mexicali plant, where it makes its shingled-cell Performance line of solar panels for the utility-scale market. The Mexicali plant now has an annual production capacity of 1.8 GW. Maxeon also has a second manufacturing site in Ensenada, Baja California, with an annual capacity of 700 MW.
“Due to its talented workforce, its privileged geographical location, and a favorable business environment, today Baja California plays and will continue to play an increasingly relevant role in meeting the growing demand for our products in North America and the rest of the world in the coming years,” said Bill Mulligan, CEO of Maxeon.
Maxeon has expanded its Mexican production capacity to ensure a non-China, tariff-free solar panel supply can enter the U.S. market. Maxeon uses PERC cells manufactured in its Malaysian factories and assembles them into solar panels in Mexico. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce clarified that AD/CVD tariffs would not apply to solar panels using Southeast Asian cells but assembled in a third country before entering the United States.
Maxeon still has plans to establish a significant solar cell and panel manufacturing hub in the United States, but nothing has been officially announced yet.
“The U.S. Dept. of Commerce clarified that AD/CVD tariffs would not apply to solar panels using Southeast Asian cells but assembled in a third country before entering the United States.”
As of now the AD/CVD filed by Auxin is still on hold by the moratorium from Joe Biden. As such without a proper investigation of Auxin’s allegations, how could the U.S. Dept. of Commerce (clarify) Southeast Asian cells are 201 or 301 tariff free? This is a ‘tell’ of politicos running interference that may last only a short time to collapse under the weight of the “final” ruling brought on by the AD/CVD when finally allowed to proceed. The industry is pushing the ‘agenda’ of decarbonization of the grid and yet what should be a 100 yard sprint, now has been extended to 200 yards and now “hurdles” have been added and one time it is “moratorium” run around the hurdles, the next time is don’t miss one “hurdle” or be disqualfied and by the way, “jump this high”. There is NO comprehensive energy policy in the U.S..