Nexamp, the nation’s largest community solar provider, has formed a new strategic partnership with Heliene Inc., a supplier of North American-made solar modules, that represents the largest community solar module order in United States history.
The order provides Nexamp access to 1.5 GW of modules that will be produced at Heliene’s Minnesota facility. Over the next five years, these modules will support the development and construction of approximately 400 new community solar projects across the nation, delivering energy to more than a quarter of a million U.S. households while increasing the supply of renewable energy on the grid.
Heliene expanded its facility in November 2022. It has additional expansions planned for September to increase manufacturing capacity, which was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act’s extension and expansion of investment tax credits for clean energy resources.
This week, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., joined Heliene CEO Martin Pochtaruk and Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai on a tour of Heliene’s solar manufacturing facility in Mountain Iron, Minn., to see how this historic solar order will be produced.
“Minnesota is leading the way in building a clean energy economy,” says Smith. “This expansion will supercharge America’s supply chain, providing opportunities for the region. And it happened because the President and Congressional leaders were tired of watching our manufacturing dominance fade. We are bringing the benefits home where they belong.”
In addition to increasing the manufacturing capacity of domestic solar modules, Nexamp and Heliene’s partnership will support additional research and development and create nearly 1,000 green jobs throughout the Iron Range region to support local economic growth.
“A solar order of this size is without precedent and comes at a critical time as the U.S. continues to develop its solar supply chain,” says Ashai. “This partnership wouldn’t be possible without the Inflation Reduction Act and is proof that this historic piece of legislation is continuing to encourage renewable energy production and help drive the energy transition.”
