Steel solar panel frame manufacturer Origami Solar has secured an all-American supply chain, including partnerships with three American steelmakers.
The three partnerships – with Welser profile of Valley City, Ohio; Priefert, of Mount Pleasant, Texas; And Unimacts of Houston, Texas – will enable Origami to ship steel solar frames to customers in the first quarter of 2025. This domestic supply chain also means that frames can get from manufacturer to module manufacturer in one to two days. Because steel solar frames can withstand greater panel loads and contain 90% less carbon than comparable aluminum frames, solar professionals and environmentalists alike have reason to be excited.
“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. Thanks to our newly announced partnerships and our fully domestic supply chain, there is simply no reason for the solar industry to accept the enormous risk associated with imported aluminum frames. They should not have to accept transportation problems, labor disputes or confinements that delay the arrival of the frames they need. They should not accept the possibility that geopolitical tensions could completely eliminate the supply of frames. They should not have to accept the risk of ever-increasing rates or that weaker aluminum frames will fail to support ever-larger solar panels. Now the solar industry can avoid that risk completely.”
The U.S. aluminum industry is vital, but it would be difficult to use it to reduce risks in the solar supply chain, Origami says. Given the intense demand for lightweight metals such as aluminum for equipment critical to U.S. national security, the use of valuable but limited aluminum resources for products such as solar panel frames that can be made from alternatives – especially when those alternatives are better suited for supporting and protecting solar panels – is not a good strategy.
However, the move to steel frames from the United States creates good-paying American jobs while producing an empirically superior product. strict testing shows that steel frames can comfortably exceed International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards and deliver improvements in module strength.
Origami’s newly announced partners share Patterson’s excitement. “Priefert has long taken pride in creating the high-quality, steel-based equipment that American businesses need and creating good-paying jobs for American workers,” said Rocky Christenberry, Executive Vice President of Priefert. “Manufacturing Origami’s steel solar frames helps us continue to do both. Through our partnership with Origami, we have been able 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 in the next three years. . This partnership showcases American innovation at its best.”
Unimacts founder Matthew Arnold agreed. “The U.S. solar industry understands that a domestic supply chain for steel solar frames dramatically reduces risk to companies and the entire industry. The steel frames we send from Houston to any manufacturing facility in the lower 48 states will never get stuck in customs or forced to wait in line at a port; they can go from our factory to a module manufacturer in one day. Manufacturers of ‘Always On’ modules do not have to pause their activities due to a lack of solar frames. Furthermore, given the extensive testing of steel solar frames for both structural integrity and corrosion resistance, solar project developers do not have to worry about frame failure. We are ready and eager to start producing these frames at scale and help the solar industry reap the benefits.”
Thomas Welser, CEO of Welser Profile, also saw the opportunity to do a real service to the American solar industry. “Welser Profile has been working with high-strength steel for more than 350 years and the company has been in our family for 11 generations. We understand how to form high-quality steel to create uniquely durable, functional and reliable equipment, and our collaboration included working with Origami’s engineers to optimize their compelling steel frame design for the ‘always on’ module production model. It was no surprise to us that Origami’s frames performed exceptionally well in rigorous testing, and we are eager to apply that performance to the U.S. solar industry.”
News item from Origami Solar
