Can recycled steel module frames de-risk the US solar supply chain?

America is reinvesting in its domestic solar supply chain. 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 U.S. But there is still a missing piece: a solution to foreign-sourced aluminum.

In this Frontier Forum, we explore an overlooked piece of the U.S. solar supply chain: the transition from aluminum to steel. Origami CEO Gregg Patterson, who has built two successful solar and battery companies, makes the economic, performance, and security case for shifting the way we make PV module frames. And MJ Shiao, VP of supply chain and manufacturing for the American Clean Power Association, outlines the nuances of U.S. domestic content policies and global solar supply chains.