Why ditching aluminum is key to securing the US solar supply chain

Solar is the fastest growing electricity-generating technology in history. That rapid scaling was a result of squeezing cost reductions out of every step of production. But there's one critical piece that hasn't changed much: frames.

Aluminum frames now make up one-quarter of the cost of a PV module. And that metal mostly comes from China, a country that controls nearly 60% of the world’s smelting.

Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, companies have built or planned 155 gigawatts of production capacity for modules, cells, wafers, and power electronics in the US. But up until now, frames have been overlooked.

So what would it take to replace foreign-sourced aluminum with US-made recycled steel – and why does it matter?

This week, we feature a conversation with Gregg Patterson, the CEO of Origami Solar, and MJ Shiao, the VP of supply chain and manufacturing at the American Clean Power Association.

This conversation isn’t just about frames – it's a story about geopolitics, trade, the complexities of manufacturing, and the urgency of improving the reliability of solar. 

This event was recorded live as part of Latitude Media’s Frontier Forum series, in partnership with Origami Solar. You can watch the full conversation here.