NSG Group announced the plan to invest in additional transparent conductive oxide, or TCO, glass production capacity in the U.S. to support the growing solar market.
Plan specifics
In the plan, a float line at the Pilkington North America Inc. Rossford, Ohio, location, a member of NSG Group, will install online coating capacity and will start shipping TCO glass for solar panel manufacture in the first quarter of 2025.
The upgraded float line in Rossford will support the expansion strategy of First Solar Inc., which has a long-standing strategic partnership with NSG Group. The float line will supply glass to First Solar’s manufacturing footprint in the U.S., which is forecast to grow to 14 gigawatts of annual nameplate capacity by 2026.
Background information
To meet the growing global demand for solar panels, specifically First Solar, NSG Group started operation of the second dedicated float line for solar glass in Vietnam in January 2020, and a new plant in Luckey, Ohio, has been operating since November 2020. The conversion of another NSG group float line in Johor Bahru was recently completed and is now beginning production. The glass produced in these plants is exclusively supplied to First Solar and will bring the total of lines dedicated to First Solar production to five.
NSG Group continues to consider expanding capacity for solar energy glass to ensure it meets First Solar demand.
NSG Group is promoting "Expansion of Value-added Business” as one of the measures listed in the medium-term management plan "Revival Plan 24 (RP24)". The announcement to expand solar glass based on our proprietary online coating technology is part of this strategy.
This project further supports NSG’s ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of carbon in the environment by enabling additional clean solar energy generated by First Solar’s solar panels.
The group will continue its efforts to realize its Medium-Term Vision to be “A global glass supplier contributing to the world with high value-added glass products and services.”
