miimura
Well-Known Member
Yes, building modules in the US from foreign cells is relatively common. In fact, I believe the Motech panels I have are like that, made in 2012. However, the Gigafactory situation is almost exactly the opposite. The cells are made in USA and because of a tariff loophole, the modules can be made overseas and then imported without tariff. That's a lot of shipping for an assembly process that's usually highly automated.I got a tour of the Mission Solar factory in San Antonio a few weeks ago. They actually have a full fab at the factory where they can make their own cells but they shut it down and import them from China because it's cheaper... I think they got an exemption from the tariffs. China invested so much in PV manufacturing that they can just make everything significantly cheaper.