up and running

Houston solar modules manufacturer opens new $60M facility

In addition to the ribbon cutting for the new facility, SEG Solar rolled out its first 585-watt YUKON N series module during the opening on August 9. Photo courtesy of SEG Solar

A Houston-based photovoltaic manufacturer has celebrated the opening of its new manufacturing base in Houston.

SEG Solar's new facility spans 250,000 square feet and will house production workshops, raw material warehouses, administrative offices, finished goods warehouses, and supporting infrastructure. It features two intelligent manufacturing lines that will produce the latest N-type high-efficiency PV modules, which is expected to have production capacity exceeding 2 gigawatts annually. The project cost $60 million.

“The Houston plant is a key part of SEG’s strategy to serve the U.S. market,” Jim Wood, CEO of SEG, says in a news release. “With new workshops, production lines, and equipment, SEG will offer a refreshed experience to the U.S. market.”

In addition to the ribbon cutting for the new facility, SEG Solar rolled out its first 585-watt YUKON N series module during the opening on August 9, which helps establish SEG as one of the first manufacturers to achieve module production in the United States.

The production lines will be compatible with 182mm and 210mm N-type cells and will be fully equipped with automated intelligent manufacturing systems, which can ensure seamless integration of automation, information and intelligence. The technological collaboration assists with manufacturing efficiency. The workshop will feature advanced ERP and MES systems for refined management and traceability of incoming materials.

SEG has shipped over 5 gigawatts of solar modules worldwide. The company says it expects to exceed a production capacity of 5.5 gigawatts by the end of 2024. According to SEG, customers will benefit from faster delivery times and enhanced after-sales service after the opening of the Houston plant. Houston’s key location will help reduce transportation costs, according to the company. Expanding out of Houston and the U.S. market, SEG plans to establish Southeast Asia's largest photovoltaic industrial park in Indonesia in 2025.

SEG hopes to establish its global R&D center at the Houston PV manufacturing base before the end of 2024 that will offer testing services, like LID tests, Damp Heat tests, PID tests, and Light and LeTID tests.

“As a leading U.S. solar company, SEG is proud to be among the first to respond to the call for domestic manufacturing by constructing a solar module factory in the U.S.,” Wood says in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony. “The completion of the Houston plant marks a significant milestone for SEG and a major advancement in U.S. module manufacturing technology.

"Looking ahead, SEG will continue to deepen its investments in wafers, cells, and modules, closely tracking market trends to meet our customers' needs," he continues. "Through strategic collaborations across the supply chain, we aim to continuously optimize and enhance the U.S. PV manufacturing industry.”

Trending News

A View From HETI

The Lone Star State is losing a nearly $250 million grant awarded last year to the Harris County-led Texas Solar for All Coalition. Photo via Getty Images.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ending a $7 billion Biden-era program that was supposed to enable low-income Americans to access affordable solar power. The program, which EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called a “boondoggle,” would have benefited more than 900,000 U.S. households.

In line with the EPA’s action, the Lone Star State is losing a $249.7 million grant awarded last year to the Harris County-led Texas Solar for All Coalition. The grant money would have equipped more than 46,000 low-income and disadvantaged communities and households in Texas with residential solar power. The nonprofit Solar United Neighbors organization said Texas had already begun to roll out this initiative.

Also slipping out of Texas’ hands are:

  • A more than $156 million 19-state grant awarded to the Clean Energy Fund of Texas in partnership with the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Houston’s Texas Southern University. The Clean Energy Fund is a Houston-based “green bank” that backs investments in solar and wind power.
  • Part of a $249.3 million multistate grant awarded to the Community Power Coalition’s Powering America Together Program. The nonprofit Inclusive Prosperity Capital organization leads the coalition.
  • Part of a $249.8 million multistate grant awarded to the Solar Access for Nationwide Affordable Housing Program, led by the nonprofit GRID Alternatives organization.

In a post on the X social media platform, Zeldin said the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” killed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which would have financed the $7 billion Solar for All program.

“The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,” Zeldin said.

Anya Schoolman, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Solar United Neighbors, accused the EPA of illegally terminating the Solar for All program. She said ending the program “harms families struggling with rising energy costs and will cost us good local jobs.”

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, joined Schoolman in alleging the EPA’s “outrageous” action is illegal. Sanders introduced the legislation that established the Solar for All program.

The senator lashed out at President Trump for axing the program in order “to protect the obscene profits of his friends in the oil and gas industry.”

Trending News