Suniva employee doing quality assurance testing at its Georgia headquarters. Photo Courtesy: Suniva

SunShot awardee Suniva, a manufacturer of high-efficiency crystalline silicone solar cells and modules, has announced it will expand its manufacturing capacity at its Georgia headquarters to 400MW and create up to 500 new jobs in the area. The announcement comes just a year after Suniva opened its second manufacturing facility in Michigan, which created another 350 jobs.

The expansion in Georgia will increase the production of Suniva’s high-powered Optimus modules, with power ratings up to 290W (60-cell format) and 340W (72-cell format). Suniva grew out of DOE-funded research at the University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Crystalline silicon solar cells are made of silicon atoms connected to one another to form a crystal lattice. This lattice comprises the solid semiconductor material that forms the basis of the photovoltaic (PV) cell. 

The Solar Energy Technologies Office focuses on achieving the goals of the SunShot Initiative, which seeks to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) success stories highlight the positive impact of its work with businesses, industry partners, universities, research labs, and other entities.