T1, Corning reach deal to make fully American-made solar panels

U.S. solar company T1 Energy and specialty glass maker Corning have reached a deal that will establish a fully domestic solar supply chain, connecting polysilicon, wafers, cells, and panels manufactured in the United States, they said on Friday.

The deal will help T1 satisfy growing U.S. demand for panels produced with American-made components. Under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, solar companies will be restricted from claiming federal clean energy tax credits if projects contain meaningful amounts of equipment produced by "foreign entities of concern," including China.

"This landmark supply chain agreement with Corning will help invigorate America with scalable, reliable, low-cost energy," T1 CEO Daniel Barcelo said in a statement. "This is American companies building in America and protecting American energy security."

Under the agreement, Corning will supply T1 with solar wafers from its Michigan factory starting in the second half of 2026. Wafers are thin slices of silicon that are the building blocks of solar cells that transform sunlight into electricity.

China dominates global solar wafer manufacturing. Trump has criticized the solar industry for being too reliant on Chinese supply chains.

The deal is an expansion of an existing supply contract for solar-grade polysilicon, the industry's raw material. 

T1 will use the wafers, produced by Corning subsidiary Hemlock Semiconductor, at an Austin, Texas, cell facility that is under development, the companies told Reuters. Those cells will be assembled into panels at T1's existing factory near Dallas.

Both companies combined will employ about 6,000 workers in Michigan and Texas, they said.

Corning reached a similar deal with manufacturers Suniva and Heliene earlier this year.