Author
Finlay Colville
Finlay Colville has been actively engaged with the solar industry for more than 20 years and is recognised as a leading analyst in the sector. For 15 years, Finlay managed market research business units at Solarbuzz and PV-Tech. He established Terawatt PV Research in 2025 as the working platform for his activities going forward.
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Articles written by Finlay Colville
Twenty-two U.S. solar PV manufacturers included in first domestic Ratings Pyramid
A new analysis of solar PV manufacturers in the United States by Terawatt PV Research provides the first detailed analysis of the current U.S. solar PV manufacturing landscape, with each company analysed across production, capital expenditure, technology, global activities/ownership and U.S.-specific strategy.
Sep 29, 2026
The $21 billion capex bill: analyzing the cost of the U.S. 100 GW module production milestone
New analysis by Terawatt PV Research reveals that about $21 billion of cumulative manufacturing capital expenditure was spent in the United States by the time domestic module production output passed 100 GW in Q2 2026. One company – First Solar – accounts for almost one-quarter of domestic PV manufacturing capex over the history of the U.S. solar industry.
IRA-stimulated U.S. solar manufacturing capex to reach $12.2 billion by end 2026
A new report by Terawatt PV Research provides the first detailed bottom-up analysis of U.S. PV manufacturing sites, including capital expenditure, productivity and technology. The findings reveal that PV manufacturing capex since the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act accounts for more than half of all investments in U.S. PV manufacturing this century.
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U.S. solar module production reaches historic 100 GW landmark
The United States crossed 100 GW of cumulative solar PV module production during Q2 2026, according to a new bottom-up factory-level analysis by Terawatt PV Research going back to the early 1970’s. Almost two-fifths of all module production can be attributed to First Solar – a reflection of the company’s unique role in U.S. manufacturing dating back more than 20 years.
Heterojunction’s long road to the US solar factory
For a cell technology that has spent much of the past three decades on the verge of a breakthrough, heterojunction (HJT) is enjoying another moment in the spotlight. This time, however, the setting is somewhat unexpected – rather than the established manufacturing centers of China and Southeast Asia, some of the most significant new commitments to HJT are emerging in the United States, Finlay Colville reports.
Growth of U.S. pure-play solar cell makers critical for downstream module buyers and investors
Between 2026 and 2028, the U.S. downstream solar community must focus its attention on domestic solar cell production to establish a sustainable manufacturing ecosystem rather than speculating on early-stage raw materials.
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Who will be the U.S. solar cell technology leaders in 2030?
As the U.S. solar PV sector scales up domestic cell manufacturing, long-term competitiveness will depend on whether American producers can move beyond turn-key foreign equipment to secure independent technology roadmaps and domestic material supply chains.
Production not politics, capex not capacity – the new metrics defining U.S. solar manufacturing
The landscape for solar PV manufacturing in the United States is set to move from bystander-curiosity to manufacturing-scrutiny. Finlay Coville explores how this transition has come about, why the existing analysis of the manufacturing space has been largely superficial until now, and what tracking a capital expenditure (capex) heavy manufacturing sector looks like in practice.
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