The NSG Group will to invest in transparent conductive oxide (TCO) glass production capacity in the United States to support the solar market.
A float line at the Pilkington North America, Rossford, Ohio facility will install online coating capacity and start shipping TCO glass for solar panel manufacture in early 2025.
The upgraded float line in Rossford will support the expansion strategy of solar glass manufacturer First Solar, which has a partnership with NSG Group.
The float line will supply glass to First Solar’s manufacturing capacity in the US, which is forecast to grow to 14 gigawatts a year by 2026.
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, USA 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.