Reshoring in US Solar Industry: Canadian Solar Unit CS Power Tech Starts First Phase of Indiana Cell Plant

Kitchener — The US solar industry now covers most of its module demand domestically and is increasingly bringing upstream cell manufacturing back onshore as well. Tariffs on Asian imports and the expansion of domestic capacity are driving the reshoring process. Canadian solar group Canadian Solar is following this trend through its US subsidiary CS Power Tech with a new factory.

According to a joint market report by SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, US module manufacturing already covered around 70 percent of domestic installations in 2025, while cell manufacturing — currently at just 3 gigawatts of capacity — remains heavily import-dependent. The US Department of Commerce imposed preliminary countervailing and antidumping duties on cell and module imports from India, Indonesia, and Laos in spring 2026. In 2023, the department had already classified imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam as circumventing the China tariffs in place since 2012. Together, the six countries most recently accounted for 78 percent of US cell imports.

New Plant in Jeffersonville Begins Operations

CS Power Tech, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, has commissioned the first expansion phase of a new solar cell plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana. At full capacity, the facility is designed to produce more than 6 gigawatts (GWp) of heterojunction-based (HJT) solar cells annually, create around 1,200 jobs in manufacturing, technology, and engineering, and represent an investment of nearly USD 1 billion. The cells are intended to supply CS Power Tech's module plant in Mesquite, Texas, creating a more localized, vertically integrated supply chain in the United States. CS Power Tech President Rusty Schmit called the plant a "cornerstone of our strategy to build one of the most advanced energy manufacturing supply chains in North America." According to the company, a second expansion phase is set to begin before the end of the year.

What Makes HJT Cells More Efficient

Heterojunction (HJT) technology combines crystalline silicon with thin layers of amorphous silicon, enabling higher efficiency and better temperature tolerance than conventional cell technologies such as PERC or TOPCon. The cells produced in Jeffersonville are also bifacial and n-type, meaning they capture light from the rear side as well to generate electricity. According to Canadian Solar, this is the first US manufacturing facility for this cell technology.

Canadian Solar Builds on US Market Position

CS Power Tech is the US manufacturing arm of Canadian Solar Inc., founded in 2001 and headquartered in Kitchener, Canada. The group is among the largest solar technology and renewable energy companies worldwide and says it has shipped close to 177 gigawatts of solar modules over the past 25 years. According to the company, CS Power Tech is also the largest manufacturer of silicon solar cells in the United States — a claim made by the company itself and not independently verified. Canadian Solar CEO Colin Parkin framed the investment strategically, saying it demonstrates the group's commitment to "establishing one of the world's most advanced solar cell technologies in the United States at scale." With the Indiana plant, Canadian Solar adds its own cell manufacturing to its existing US module plant in Mesquite, Texas, reducing its reliance on externally sourced cells.

Canadian Solar Shares Gain

Canadian Solar shares reacted positively to the plant opening. The stock, listed on the renewable energy index RENIXX World, rose around 3.1 percent between July 24 and July 27, 2026, to EUR 12.08 (closing price, July 27, 2026, Stuttgart Stock Exchange). On a year-to-date basis, however, the stock remains under pressure, having lost around 41 percent of its value since the start of 2026.

Source: IWR Online, 28 Jul 2026