From pv magazine USA
US-based solar module manufacturer Bila Solar partnered with Origami Solar to produce US-made modules with steel frames. The solar modules also incorporate US-made solar cells, said Bila Solar.
Origami Solar’s US-manufactured steel frames are now available as an option for Bila Solar’s 550 W dual-glass module series. The combination gives customers higher domestic content, improving eligibility for tax credit incentives and import restrictions.
“By integrating Origami’s innovative and remarkably stronger steel frames and pairing them with US-manufactured solar cells, we not only offer a stronger, more reliable module but also provide customers with increased domestic content to facilitate access to the 10% domestic content bonus adder,” said Mick McDaniel, vice president and general manager of Bila Solar.
Bila Solar said its new steel-framed modules are designed to help developers weather market volatility in the wake of rising import prices, which it said increased 0.4% in July alone.
Based in Singapore, Bila Solar began production at its new Indianapolis facility, adding US manufacturing operational capacity.
In February, ES Foundry, a South Carolina-based manufacturer of crystalline bifacial passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells, announced it secured a multi-year agreement to supply 300 MW of solar cells to Bila Solar.
The new Origami steel-framed product is a 550 W dual glass steel frame module is a 144 half-cut bifacial monocrystalline PERC module. It has 21.3% efficiency and a rear side power gain of 5%.
It is a large-format solar module certified to withstand snow loads up to 5400 Pa and extreme wind up to 2400 Pa. The module conforms to UL 61730 and UL 61215 testing and comes with a 12-year product materials and workmanship warranty and a 30-year linear power performance warranty covering annual degradation of less than 0.45% per year after year one. Each panel weighs 77 pounds and measures 89.69 inches by 44.65 inches by 1.38 inches
The new steel-framed 550 W module series will be showcased at the upcoming RE+ trade show in Las Vegas from Sept. 9 to 12. Attendees can view the module in the Bila Solar booth in the Caesars Forum – F16045 (by appointment only) and the Origami Solar booth Venetian Level 2 – V14131
Deliveries of the new module series are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
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Wonder if this will just be another justification to raise the price or will we actually get something cheaper for once. Americans are being taken advantage of at every turn, it’s unbelievable. Solar in Australia is a fraction of what we see. Had someone there tell me…
”
… 13.3kw of solar with a 10kw inverter can be as low as US$3000 installed here.
Probably less if you went with a cheaper installer.
Panels are $100 each and inverters are a grand or two. Installation takes less than a day.
I’ve no idea why you guys pay so much.
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Man….