U.S. PV manufacturing capex could reach $7 billion in 2027 in breakout year for domestic supply-chain – pv magazine International
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U.S. PV manufacturing capex could reach $7 billion in 2027 in breakout year for domestic supply-chain
Driven by multi-billion-dollar investments from the likes of Tesla and Corning, U.S. solar manufacturing capital expenditure is forecast to skyrocket 150% year-on-year to $7 billion in 2027, marking a massive breakout year as silicon-based technology eclipses thin-film spending and cements a domestic supply chain.
May 20, 2026<br>Finlay Colville
Markets
Modules & Upstream Manufacturing
United States
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From pv magazine USA
Investments into PV capital expenditure (capex) across the United States are set to grow significantly in 2027, in what is likely to be a breakout year for the domestic crystalline-silicon (c-Si) industry.
Capex is forecast to reach as much as $7 billion in 2027, representing a year-on-year growth of about 150%, with investments into the c-Si value-chain potentially accounting for more than 90% of spending, compared to about 10% from thin-film (First Solar).
This article provides the first detailed analysis of U.S.-specific PV manufacturing capex, created bottom-up by analysing the investments, effective capacities and production levels of more than 35 domestic producers in the United States; by year back to 2020 and by quarter out to the end of 2027.
The details behind this new analysis form the backdrop to the content that will be presented on-stage at Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 in Austin, Texas on 22-23 September 2026 – the first event to be held in the United States dedicated exclusively to domestic PV production, equipment supply, technologies deployed and materials supply-chains.
Capex and opex the new metrics for domestic production
Since details regarding the Inflation Reduction Act were revealed back in 2022, manufacturing capacity in the United States has evolved in a somewhat lumpy fashion, characterized by First Solar’s new thin-film factories across various states in the Southeast and a spread of c-Si module factories across the country, with Texas taking the lead from a production standpoint.
While a massive step forward for a country that was for years being supplied by factories in Southeast Asia, financed and operated mostly by Chinese PV manufacturers, the investment climate for full value-chain c-Si capital spending has been largely subdued in the United States in the past few years.
This was due to uncertainty. Would the United States continue to be supplied by upstream components produced overseas as foreign companies moved capacity from one country to another to avoid the latest round of AD/CVD tariffs? Or would the requirements on foreign-ownership and control create a void in expansion plans that domestic entities were unable to fill?
However, over the past 6 months, it appears that these uncertainties have been overcome. Legacy issues with foreign ownership appear to be getting addressed now and plans have emerged from companies such as Canadian Solar, Corning and Tesla that suggest a new landscape for domestic PV manufacturing in the United States is imminent.
In short, it appears that the build-out of a domestic manufacturing ecosystem is now an accepted reality; not just for upstream cells, wafers and ingots, but the accompanying raw materials supply-chains feeding into manufacturing activity through the value-chain.
At last, the United States is moving from tracking ambitious capacity announcement plans to analysing capex and operating expenditure (opex); the key metrics...