Translucent Solar, a U.S.-based solar module manufacturer, has started ramping up production at its 1.2 GW solar module manufacturing facility in Summerville, South Carolina. The company expects the facility to become fully operational by the end of 2026.

Translucent Solar said it invested $15.6 million in the first phase of the module manufacturing facility.

The plant will manufacture high-efficiency solar modules for utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential applications.

Translucent Solar plans to use the facility as the first phase of a multi-year expansion of its U.S. manufacturing operations. The company said its roadmap includes expansion into domestic solar cell, wafer, and ingot manufacturing.

Augustus Rylands, Managing Director at Translucent Solar, said the company welcomed the Section 232 tariffs on polysilicon and its derivatives announced on August 6 earlier this year, which provided greater long-term certainty for American solar manufacturers planning investments.

According to the company, the plant will incorporate quality controls throughout the manufacturing process, including raw material qualification, incoming inspections, production monitoring, in-line inspection, final testing, and product traceability.

The investment in module manufacturing capacity is aligned with rising global demand for solar-powered solutions.  In 2025, a record 664 GW of new solar capacity was installed globally, taking the total operating capacity worldwide to about 2.9 TW, according to SolarPower Europe’s Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030. The U.S. added 43.2 GW during that year.

In July 2026, the U.S. initiated an anti-circumvention inquiry to determine whether crystalline silicon solar cells and modules manufactured in Ethiopia and Vietnam using Chinese components are circumventing existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Chinese solar products.

In the same month, four U.S. lawmakers urged the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Internal Revenue Service to take immediate action against imports of partially processed solar cells, commonly referred to as “blue wafers,” alleging that some companies are evading trade duties and improperly claiming federal manufacturing tax credits intended to support domestic solar manufacturing.