On May 22, 2023, Enel North America, partnered with Italian company 3Sun USA, announced plans to build one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) cell and panel manufacturing facilities in Inola, Oklahoma, about 25 miles east of Tulsa.[1] Enel has a large presence in Oklahoma, with more than 2 GW of renewable energy capacity representing over $3 billion in total investments over the last ten years. Construction for the manufacturing facility is planned to begin in fall 2023, with the first panel produced and available to the market by the end of 2024. The company expects the factory to reach 3 GW of annual capacity in 2025, with a possible future expansion to 6 GW. The factory represents over $1 billion in initial investments and expects to create over 1,800 construction jobs.

According to the press release, the planned facility will be among the first in the U.S. to produce solar cells and will incorporate a high-performance bifacial heterojunction technology (HJT). The bifacial HJT can secure higher than average energy production, producing approximately 15-20% more electricity than conventional single-sided panels. It also provides significant efficiency improvements, with a certified cell efficiency of 24.6%. In addition, the technology’s lower degradation ensures a longer useful life for modules, and the cells’ high density is conducive to a variety of applications, such as land-constrained utility-scale installations or rooftops.

[1] https://www.enelnorthamerica.com/newsroom/news/search-press/press/2023/05/3sun-oklahoma