Solar Manufacturing USA 2026

September 22-23, 2026 | Austin, Texas | USA

Organizers: pv magazine · Finlay Colville

Technology, equipment and strategy for US solar manufacturing

Why this conference:

US solar manufacturing is moving into a more demanding phase today. The first wave of announcements focused on capacity plans, factory openings and job creation potential. The next phase focuses on how production lines are specified, how factories are built and run, how technologies are selected, and how the sector defines a credible long-term roadmap. 

Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 has been designed specifically for the manufacturing side of the industry, bringing together the companies building domestic production, the suppliers enabling factory ramp-up, the experts benchmarking quality and performance, and the technology voices shaping what-comes-next. 

This is not a downstream solar event, and it is not a general policy forum. It is a focused meeting point for the people making decisions on factory execution, equipment, materials, process flows, technology ownership and long-term manufacturing strategy in the United States. 

Who attends

Where buyers, manufacturers and suppliers meet 

Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 brings the full U.S. solar manufacturing ecosystem into one room, with particular emphasis on the buyers, investors and third-party entities whose participation helps define the commercial relevance of the event. Held in Austin, Texas, the event also gives delegates access to the state where solar manufacturing activity is becoming most concentrated, with opportunities for follow-on meetings and factory visits beyond the two-day programme.

• Buyers, developers and investors 
• Manufacturers and fab developers 
• Equipment, materials and turnkey suppliers 
• Third-party validation and due diligence 
• Industry bodies and R&D partners 

Austin is the gateway to a state where U.S. solar manufacturing is becoming increasingly localized, scaled and visible. For many delegates, the value of attending will extend beyond the conference itself to include follow-on meetings and factory visits in Texas. 

Attendees are expected to include CTOs, heads of R&D, manufacturing and operations leaders, procurement teams, commercial and strategy executives, and specialists involved in supply-chain, quality and market-entry decisions.

Organizers: pv magazine · Finlay Colville

Venue: AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, University Avenue, Austin, Texas, USA

Preliminary Agenda

Explore the two-day agenda for Solar Manufacturing USA 2026, covering production volumes, cell innovation, factory benchmarking, upstream manufacturing, production-line ownership, factory build-out, operating economics and the roadmap to 100 GW by 2035. 

Day One – September 22

09:00 am – 09:10 am  | Welcome to Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 in Austin, Texas 

09:10 am – 09:50 am  | US solar manufacturing in 2026: production volumes and strategic investments 

• The opening session sets the scene for Solar Manufacturing USA 2026, combining a market-led overview of the domestic manufacturing base from conference Chair Finlay Colville with a C-level industry perspective on the technologies, strategic investments and execution realities driving U.S. solar production. 

09:50 am  – 11:00 am  | US-led solar cell innovation: differentiating through technology 

• This session examines how solar cell manufacturing in the U.S. can be built around differentiation and innovation, focusing on the cell architectures, production equipment and technology roadmaps defining the sector. 

11:00 am – 11:30 am | Coffee break 

11:30 am – 1:00 pm  | Benchmarking US solar factories: yields, quality and performance 

• This session features leading U.S. solar manufacturers sharing production-line metrics on yield, quality and performance, alongside independent testing, factory audits and due-diligence processes that help validate industry benchmarks. 

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch 

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm  | Upstream manufacturing is underway: polysilicon, wafers and vertical integration 

• This session examines the upstream transition unfolding today as U.S. solar manufacturing moves from ambition to execution, with presentations from the companies leading new domestic ingot and wafer production. 

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm  | Coffee break 

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm  | US-led solar cell manufacturing: specifying production lines for technical and commercial ownership 

• Extending the morning focus on cell innovation, this session examines how new U.S. solar cell lines are being specified to enable in-house ownership of technology choice, process-flow customization and Intellectual Property. 

6:00 pm | Austin networking reception and evening social 

Day Two – September 23

09:00 am – 10:30 am | Building US solar factories: EPC execution, equipment supply and turnkey lines 

• This session explores the capital build-out now underway across U.S. solar manufacturing, with a focus on the companies designing, equipping and delivering the factories and production lines behind new domestic capacity. 

10:30 am – 11:00 am  | Coffee break 

11:00 am – 12:30 pm  | Operating US solar factories: costs, materials and profitability 

• This session explores the OPEX side of U.S. solar manufacturing, with a focus on materials supply, cost control and the factory-level economics that will determine long-term viability. 

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm  | Lunch 

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Next-generation solar technologies: innovation shaped by US manufacturing 

• Technology selection for the first wave of new U.S. solar production lines is already spanning a broad range of options, including PERC, TOPCon and heterojunction. This session explores how the sector may evolve from today’s mixed manufacturing landscape toward higher-performing cell structures such as back-contact and tandem architectures, including perovskites. 

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm  | Defining the US Solar PV Technology Roadmap to 100 GW by 2035 

• This closing session uses the current U.S. manufacturing base as the springboard for defining a pathway to 100 GW by 2035. Through industry-led presentations and debate, the session asks how the sector gets there, what is still missing, and how today’s technologies, investments and manufacturing footprint can form the basis of a credible long-term roadmap. 

4:00 pm  | Close of event 

Speakers

Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 will feature speakers from the leading companies and institutions shaping the next phase of U.S. solar manufacturing. The event will bring together senior voices from manufacturing, technology, equipment, materials, factory build-out, quality benchmarking, investment and procurement; creating a rare opportunity to hear how domestic solar production is being built, operated and scaled. Speaker announcements will follow shortly. 

If you are interested in speaking please send us an email to: [email protected]

Sponsors & Partners

Focused exclusively on U.S. solar manufacturing and production, Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 offers sponsors the opportunity to engage directly with the companies, buyers, investors and third-party entities shaping the next phase of the sector. Packages are available across branding, speaking, networking and lead-generation activity, with early partners able to help define the launch profile of the event.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact the team: [email protected]