The United States has spent the past several years aggressively rebuilding its domestic solar manufacturing industry. Backed by major federal incentives, geopolitical pressure to reduce dependence on China and soaring demand for renewable energy infrastructure, billions of dollars have flowed into new solar panel factories across the country.
But according to a new manufacturing quality report highlighted by pv magazine, many American solar manufacturers are struggling with something far more fundamental than supply chains or scaling capacity: they still need to learn how to solder properly.
The findings expose a major challenge facing the rapid reshoring of clean energy manufacturing. While the United States is successfully expanding production capacity, quality control appears to be lagging significantly behind more mature manufacturing ecosystems, particularly in China. According to the report from Intertek CEA, more than 70% of audited solar factories in 2025 fell into the lowest two quality tiers, while none achieved the highest A+ rating.
Perhaps most concerning is the dramatic variation in production yield rates. Some mature Chinese facilities are reportedly operating near 100% manufacturing yield, while certain American factories are falling into the 30% to 60% range.
At the centre of the issue is soldering, one of the most basic yet technically critical aspects of solar panel assembly. Solar cells must be connected using ultra-precise metallic bonding techniques that allow electricity to flow efficiently through the module. As solar technology advances, those connections are becoming increasingly delicate and difficult to manufacture consistently.
Modern solar cells now contain more busbars and ribbons than older generations, meaning the physical contact areas available for soldering are shrinking rapidly. That increases the likelihood of manufacturing defects, particularly in newly scaled facilities with less experienced production teams.
The report highlights several recurring manufacturing issues, including cold soldering, oversoldering, grid breaks and cell scratches. Cold soldering is considered particularly problematic because the connection may appear intact visually while actually forming a weak electrical bond underneath, potentially leading to field failures years later.
Electroluminescence imaging, commonly known as EL imaging, has become one of the primary tools used to identify these hidden defects. The technology applies electrical current through solar cells to reveal invisible internal weaknesses before modules leave the factory floor. While the process catches many issues early, the report suggests some facilities are experiencing alarmingly high rework rates. One Indian factory reportedly reached 56% rework in 2024, while a U.S. facility climbed as high as 62% during 2025.
The broader implications extend far beyond manufacturing efficiency alone.
The United States is currently attempting one of the largest industrial reshoring efforts in modern clean energy history. Massive investment driven by the Inflation Reduction Act and domestic manufacturing incentives has accelerated the construction of new module assembly plants across multiple states. Companies including First Solar, JinkoSolar and several emerging manufacturers are expanding aggressively as Washington attempts to reduce dependence on imported Chinese solar products.
However, building factories is only part of the challenge.
Manufacturing expertise itself takes years to develop. China spent decades refining solar manufacturing processes, building supply chains, training engineers and improving production consistency at enormous scale. Many American factories are still navigating the early phases of that learning curve.
The report specifically notes that quality issues tend to emerge most heavily during factory ramp-up phases and capacity expansions, periods when production pressure is high and operational systems are still stabilising.
This is becoming increasingly important because solar technology itself is evolving rapidly. Modern photovoltaic modules are far more sophisticated than earlier generations, with technologies such as TOPCon, PERC and tandem solar cells introducing greater efficiency but also greater manufacturing complexity.
There are also significant commercial consequences attached to poor manufacturing quality.
Solar projects are designed around decades-long performance expectations. Even relatively small defects introduced during assembly can eventually reduce energy generation, create hotspots or shorten module lifespan. For developers, utilities and consumers investing heavily into renewable infrastructure, reliability matters just as much as production volume.
If domestic manufacturers struggle to maintain consistent quality, confidence in American-made panels could weaken at precisely the moment the country is attempting to establish long-term manufacturing credibility.
Online discussion surrounding the report reflects growing concern about the competitiveness gap between American and Chinese manufacturing. Some industry observers argue that decades of outsourced production have eroded technical expertise in areas once dominated by U.S. manufacturing leadership.
At the same time, others view these issues as relatively predictable growing pains rather than structural failure.
Large-scale manufacturing industries rarely mature instantly. Semiconductor fabrication, EV battery production and advanced electronics manufacturing all experienced periods of instability during early scaling phases. Supporters of domestic solar expansion argue that manufacturing quality will improve as facilities gain operational experience, workforces become more specialised and production systems mature.
The stakes are enormous because solar energy itself is becoming central to global energy strategy.
Governments worldwide are accelerating renewable energy deployment as electricity demand rises sharply due to AI infrastructure, electric vehicles and industrial electrification. Solar remains one of the fastest-growing energy sectors globally, and control over manufacturing capacity is increasingly being viewed as both an economic and geopolitical priority.
At the same time, market pressure continues intensifying. Trade restrictions, tariff uncertainty and foreign entity compliance rules are already placing upward pressure on U.S. solar module pricing. If domestic manufacturing quality fails to improve quickly enough, American producers may face challenges competing against highly refined international supply chains despite political support and government incentives.
Still, many analysts believe the long-term trajectory remains positive.
The expansion of domestic solar manufacturing represents more than just energy policy. It reflects a wider industrial shift toward rebuilding strategic manufacturing capability inside the United States. But the latest report serves as a reminder that industrial capacity is not simply about constructing factories. It is about developing expertise, consistency and operational excellence over time.
And in the rapidly expanding world of renewable energy manufacturing, even something as seemingly simple as soldering may end up determining who leads the next generation of global energy infrastructure.