U.S.-based solar cell manufacturer TALON PV is building a 4 GW manufacturing facility for high-efficiency tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells in the country. The facility is expected to commence production by the end of 2026.

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) is supporting the company for this project. The research institute is setting up a pilot production line for TALON PV’s TOPCon cells at its Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center in Germany’s Freiburg.

Jochen Rentsch, Head of PV Technology Transfer at Fraunhofer ISE, said, “The copy of the manufacturing line from TALON PV allows us to optimize both the product and the process of the new factory even before production begins. This saves time and money.”

To support this effort, TALON PV installed specific manufacturing equipment within the research institute’s facilities. This equipment will help mirror the company’s commercial 4 GW manufacturing facility in the U.S.

Fraunhofer ISE stated that the factory layout planning at the institute and the technology selection for the pilot line have been completed. TALON PV is utilizing the pilot line to train its personnel on operating and optimizing the production equipment.

Further solar cell development at a “sister” line will commence at Freiburg after the production ramp-up at TALON’s U.S. manufacturing facility.

Fraunhofer ISE  has been providing technology selection and product design support for multiple U.S. solar companies.

Adam Tesanovich, Co-Founder and CEO at TALON PV, said the company is already preparing for next-generation solar technologies, specifically perovskite-silicon tandem cells.

TALON PV was one of the companies that petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from India, Indonesia, and Laos.

Last December, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its preliminary affirmative determinations in the anti-dumping duty investigations of crystalline photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. This move follows investigations stemming from concerns that manufacturers in these countries benefit from unfair government subsidies.