Bringing The World Home To You

© 2025 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Already a Sustainer? Click here to increase now →

NC solar panel manufacturer builds new facility as demand for domestic panels soars

Boviet Solar manufactures solar modules in Greenville, N.C.
Boviet Solar
Boviet Solar manufactures solar modules in Greenville, N.C.

Federal legislators passed new regulations requiring U.S.-sourced and manufactured solar panels for commercial projects that hope to get tax credits, making demand for domestic panels skyrocket.

President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill has pushed solar companies to buy American-made panels, with new regulations that cap how much foreign material can go into a product and still meet eligibility requirements for tax breaks. There’s just one problem.

“We cannot manufacture a solar panel in America end-to-end,” said Bryce Bruncati, with Raleigh-based solar installer 8MSolar. "There are three brands of panels that I can sell. My costs have skyrocketed.”

Boviet Solar is trying to address that. The company has started interior construction of its photovoltaic cell manufacturing facility in Pitt County. The company already operates a panel assembly plant in Greenville, which began operations earlier this year.

Boviet stated that the solar cell manufacturer will help meet the growing demand for made-in-USA solar products.

It would produce enough cells for 3 gigawatts of solar power annually — enough for over 42,000 homes. Boviet anticipates that the facility will come online late next year.

This story first appeared in WFAE's Climate News newsletter. You can sign up here to get this news first.


SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS

WFAE remains committed to our mission: to serve our community with fact-based, nonpartisan journalism. But our ability to do that depends on the strength of the financial response from the communities we serve. Please support our journalism by contributing today.


Zachary Turner is a climate reporter and author of the WFAE Climate News newsletter. He freelanced for radio and digital print, reporting on environmental issues in North Carolina.
More Stories