# Scaling America's domestic solar supply chain

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-03-19
- Length: 40m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain

## Summary

Scott Moskowitz, VP of market strategy and public affairs at QCells and chair of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), discusses the challenges and progress of reshoring solar manufacturing to the United States. He explains that while module assembly and polysilicon production have been domesticated, the critical middle stages of wafer and cell manufacturing are only just beginning to scale, with companies like QCells and Hemlock Corning leading the charge. Moskowitz highlights that despite US modules costing roughly 30 cents per watt compared to 7-9 cents globally, high demand driven by data centers and AI load growth has made domestic production economically viable, though achieving global cost competitiveness remains a long-term goal requiring scale and policy continuity.

## Chapters

- [2:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=154) Introduction: Scott Moskowitz and the state of US solar
- [4:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=280) The shift from cost-focus to supply chain resilience
- [8:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=484) Domestic manufacturing status: Polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules
- [10:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=656) Why modules and polysilicon were domesticated first
- [12:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=775) Cost competitiveness: US vs. China pricing and 45X incentives
- [17:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=1030) Challenges of building new factories and supply chain clustering
- [19:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=1159) QCells' vertical integration strategy and IRA incentives
- [23:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=1414) Market oversupply from China and investment slowdown
- [26:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=1573) Reconciling high US prices with domestic manufacturing goals
- [32:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=1961) The need for ambitious cost targets and reducing soft costs
- [36:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-03-19-scaling-americas-domestic-solar-supply-chain#t=2172) The biggest choke point: Economics and competition with China

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- QCells (company)
- SEIA (company)
- First Solar (company)
- Hemlock Semiconductor (company)
- REC Silicon (company)
- Energy Impact Partners (company)
- GTM (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- Uplight (company)
- Antenna Group (company)
- Latitude Media (company)
- Catalyst (other)
- IRA (other)
- 45X (other)
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (other)
- Sunshot (other)
- Yingli (company)
- Trina (company)
- Suntech (company)
- LONGi (company)
- JA Solar (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Solar Cells, SparkFun, TSMC - The Detroit Debunking](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-01-05-solar-cells-sparkfun-tsmc-the-detroit-debunking) (The Amp Hour)
- [30% More Power, 20% Lower Costs: Scott Graybeal on Solar’s Step-Change Moment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2026-03-05-30-more-power-20-lower-costs-scott-graybeal-on-solars-step-change-moment) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [How Colocating R&D Drives Manufacturing Innovation w/ Martin DeBono](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-02-01-how-colocating-r-d-drives-manufacturing-innovation-w-martin-debono) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [285: Why Offshoring Looks Cheaper (But Isn’t): The Real Math Behind Reshoring with Harry Moser](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2026-04-28-285-why-offshoring-looks-cheaper-but-isnt-the-real-math-behind-reshoring-with-ha) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Why Reshoring Electronics to the US is Harder Than You Think](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-01-29-why-reshoring-electronics-to-the-us-is-harder-than-you-think) (OnTrack)

## Citing this page

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