Through partnerships with steel equipment manufacturers in Ohio and two locations in Texas, Origami Solar can have its steel solar panel frames shipped from manufacturer to module manufacturer in one to two days.
Origami Solar has announced partnerships with three U.S. steelmakers that will domestically produce steel frames for solar modules in Ohio and Texas. The company expects to ship steel frames to customers in the first quarter of 2025. By producing regionally, the frames will reach the module manufacturers within one to two days.
“America has one of the strongest steel industries in the world,” said Gregg Patterson, CEO of Origami Solar. “We have the energy-efficient steel mills and world-class manufacturers that can produce every solar frame America will ever need.”
Founded in 2019 and based in Oregon, Origami Solar is a pv magazine Award winner 2023 for production. The company produces proprietary steel frames for solar modules that are said to reduce costs and improve module performance. It reports that the frames are made from ‘green’ recycled steel, reducing greenhouse gases by up to 93%, which equates to a reduction of 80kg per module or 200 tonnes per MW.
a recent report by Wood Mackenzie and Origami Solar notes that while the United States is working to build up its domestic module production, thanks to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a lesser-known problem is America’s dependence on aluminum module frames. The majority of these are currently imported from East and Southeast Asia, and according to the report, all are made from carbon-intensive aluminum.
Origami Solar sees an opportunity to supply module manufacturers in the U.S. market who are transitioning from imported aluminum frames to domestically made steel frames. Using recycled steel from suppliers in the United States and Europe in the frames gives it a competitive advantage when it comes to greenhouse gas scoring as rated by Boundless Impact
Patterson said that by having regional manufacturing centers in the United States, customers “will avoid shipping issues, labor disputes or backlogs that delay the arrival of the frames they need.” He added that by purchasing domestically produced steel frames, customers would not have to worry about “geopolitical tensions” or “ever-increasing tariffs.” In the light of recent news about vulnerable solar panelshe noted that steel frames can reduce the risk of frames failing to support increasingly larger solar panels.
Switching to domestically produced products throughout the solar supply chain has the further benefit of supporting good-paying jobs.
“Our partnership with Origami has allowed us to expand our investments in the solar industry, keep our Benton, Arkansas facility open, keep our current employees hard at work and expand to up to 70 additional skilled employees over the next three years. said Rocky Christenberry, Executive Vice President of Priefert.
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