The interplay between the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) domestic content requirements, procurement timelines, and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) eligibility demands proactive adaptation and an evaluation of compliance and procurement strategies across utility-scale, community, commercial & industrial (CCI), and residential solar segments. Aligning with these policies should be a strategic imperative for developers, EPCs, and installers to secure financial incentives, mitigate project risks, and maintain a competitive advantage.

The first step will be collaborating with module suppliers that are prioritizing domestic supply chain development. Trinasolar US is working to achieve domestic content for America’s solar market. The manufacturing model ensures compliance requirements while offering transparency across the production process.

Below, we examine the structural shifts required across solar market segments and provide Trinasolar’s roadmap for supplying modules that meet domestic content thresholds.

Solar Investment Tax Credit and Domestic Content Bonus

The Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA’s) domestic content bonus enables projects to receive the enhanced 10% adder to the 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The current domestic threshold mandates 45% of total solar project costs must derive from U.S.-manufactured components for projects starting construction in 2025, increasing to 50% in 2026, and 55% for 2027 and beyond. These thresholds apply to major components such as modules, inverters, and structural steel. Projects that miss domestic content thresholds only receive 85% of the credit in 2025 and 0% in 2026 and beyond. Failure to adapt entirely risks exclusion from the ITC bonus, significantly increasing project levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and potentially making them no longer economically viable.

Solar stakeholders across every sector must now balance escalating domestic content requirements while aligning procurement with manufacturing lead times.

Recalibrating Compliance Strategies Across Every Solar Segment

To bridge this gap, developers and EPCs must start securing long-term contracts with emerging domestic suppliers, like Trinasolar US, since lead times should align with projected increases in domestic cell capacity down the road and ensure access to domestically sourced inventory, avoiding bottlenecks as demand surges ahead of regulatory deadlines.

Meeting domestic content thresholds will require meticulous record-keeping of audits and documentation of supplier certification management. The IRS mandates that the taxpayers retain accounting books or records of invoices, bills of materials (BOMs), or supplier affidavits establishing the credit amount as long as the project remains subject to a tax assessment. This creates operational requirements for companies to maintain records verifying that racking systems, inverters, and module-level power electronics (MLPEs) meet Federal Trade Commission (FTC) criteria.

For residential installers, educating customers on indirect benefits becomes paramount. Although homeowner customers cannot directly claim domestic content bonuses, installers must articulate how compliance benefits them, for example, like supply chain certainty. Modules assembled domestically avoid customs delays that historically caused months of project postponements. Installers should consider collaborating with suppliers to create co-branded materials that explain the indirect benefits and emphasize reliability over the system’s lifetime.

With ongoing legislative uncertainty, stakeholders should closely monitor any changes and participate in industry working groups. Additional key resources include the IRS Domestic content bonus credit portal for updates and notices, and the Solar Energy Industry Association’s (SEIA) Supply Chain Dashboard, which tracks real-time domestic manufacturing capacity expansions.

Solar Strength in Texas

Beneath the bright Texas sky, where oil derricks once dominated the horizon, solar manufacturing has stepped into the spotlight.

In Wilmer, Texas, just outside of Dallas, a 5GW state-of-the-art complex manufactures an uninterrupted supply of industry-leading p-type PERC and n-type TOPCon modules.

Recently announced, a solar cell facility in Austin, Texas, will be operational in late 2026, providing an important piece to achieve domestic content qualification. Once completed, the facility will transform columns of U.S. and EU-sourced polysilicon ingots into advanced solar PV cells.

Trucks departing the Austin-based facility will arrive in Wilmer within hours, where the cells meet their final form at the module manufacturing facility. Local Texan workers use cutting-edge technology like automated robot arms and precision-engineered production lines to assemble best-in-class PV modules destined for America’s utility-scale, CCI, and residential solar projects. 

Since cell, glass, backsheet, and EVA comprise the largest percentages of components, sourcing these components domestically remains a top priority to help project stakeholders qualify for the ITC adder. Although the frames, ribbon, diodes, and other components represent a smaller percentage, the parts are still included in the roadmap. Active communications for partnerships with producers in the US are ongoing, and timelines are subject to change.

The Solar Vending Machine for Modules Assembled in Texas

This “Solar Vending Machine”  — where customers place orders, and out come modules ready for deployment — transforms logistics from a liability into an asset. Where overseas shipments could take months with a risk for a customs inspection and detainment, Texas-to-jobsite deliveries only take a few days, sidestepping the logistical tangles that often plague overseas shipments. Stakeholders can turn compliance into a competitive edge by recalibrating procurement strategies, deepening supplier partnerships, and educating customers on indirect benefits.

The future of America’s solar industry will rest on how companies, stakeholders, and policies come together. 

Want to learn more about Trina’s domestic content roadmap and how to secure PV modules assembled in Texas? Reach out to the local Trinasolar US team to get the details.

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