T1 Energy and Corning have signed a supply agreement aimed at creating a fully domestic solar panel manufacturing chain.
Under the agreement, Corning will supply T1 with solar wafers produced at its Michigan facilities starting in the second half of 2026. The wafers will be processed into solar cells at T1’s planned G2 Austin facility in Texas and then assembled into modules at the company’s existing G1 Dallas plant. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In the statement, T1 Chairman and CEO Daniel Barcelo said the agreement will support about 6,000 jobs and "promote American energy independence."
"The [United States] needs to establish critical energy supply chains built on domestic capacity and industrial know-how," Barcelo said.
"Together with Corning, we intend to accelerate America’s ability to manufacture leading-edge solar solutions."
The arrangement expands an existing supply contract for solar-grade polysilicon, the raw material used to make wafers, which Corning provides through its subsidiary Hemlock Semiconductor.
By connecting polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules—all made in the United States—the companies will be able to offer a more stable supply chain for domestic customers, they said.
AB Ghosh, Corning vice president and general manager of solar and chairman and CEO of Hemlock Semiconductor, said the company is accelerating its manufacturing capabilities to meet new demand for American-made products.
"We’re accelerating the ramp of our advanced manufacturing capabilities to support a resilient U.S. solar supply chain," Ghosh said in the statement.
The announcement comes as federal policy places new restrictions on clean energy tax credits. Under the terms of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, solar projects containing “meaningful amounts” of equipment from “foreign entities of concern,” including China, will be ineligible for federal clean energy tax incentives going forward.