T1 Energy, the solar panel manufacturing player formerly known as FREYR, announced in its 2024 full-year report that it has chosen a site in Milam County, Texas, to establish a 5-GW solar cell manufacturing facility. The site located northeast of Austin will be labeled “G2 Austin,” while T1’s existing solar panel assembly outfit in Wilmer is called “G1 Dallas.”
T1 has executed a lease and purchase option for 100 acres in the Advanced Manufacturing and Logistix Campus at Sandow Lakes. The company will invest up to $850 million into the site and is projected to create up to 1,800 new advanced manufacturing jobs.
“Adding solar cell manufacturing is foundational to building out T1’s American supply chain. We are excited to take that next step right here in Texas, where the state’s leadership and business community has continued to develop the infrastructure, talent, and business climate necessary to support this project,” said Daniel Barcelo, T1’s CEO and Chairman of the Board. “We are grateful for the support we have received from the Wilmer, Austin, and Milam County communities and look forward to continuing to partner together moving forward.”
T1 also announced that the ongoing ramp of production at the 5-GW solar panel assembly facility is proceeding ahead of schedule. During January and February 2025, the company produced more than 220 MW of panels at the plant that uses licensed Trina Solar technology. The site hosts four production lines for the utility-scale market producing a mix of PERC and TOPCon modules. T1 expects to reach 3.4 GW of production by year-end.
