Solar Provider Chooses Gray to Deliver First U.S. Manufacturing Facility.

The retrofit will require extensive engineering services to structurally reinforce the roof to support Trina’s hanging equipment. Gray will also coordinate across project teams to install all HVAC equipment and provide sufficient power to each of the customer’s seven PV panel assembly lines.

In addition to providing design, construction, and engineering services, Gray will also manage rough-setting connections for the plant’s process equipment to support the customer’s fast-track schedule.

Solar Energy Becoming a Hot Market in Texas

Trina is investing more than $200 million in the project—a clear sign that the company sees the emergence of the U.S. solar market as a key piece of its business strategy. Starting in 2024, the plant will produce large power output Vertex modules using 210mm wafers with polysilicon sourced from the U.S. and Europe. Once fully operational, the manufacturing facility will produce 5 GW of solar modules and create 1,500 jobs for Wilmer and the surrounding region.

“We have long had a vision to manufacture solar products in the United States, and we are proud of the jobs we are creating and the investment we are making in the Wilmer community,” says Trina Solar U.S. President Steven Zhu. “As someone who has lived in Texas for more than a decade, I’m proud to bring Trina’s first module factory in the Western Hemisphere to the Lone Star State.”

Drew Romans, vice president of the Manufacturing market at Gray, offered encouraging remarks at a recent community celebration event in Wilmer attended by state and local officials. “Gray is extremely proud to partner with Trina Solar on this solar manufacturing assembly plant and warehouse. This project will positively impact the solar industry, the state of Texas, and the American economy, and it was our honor to stand by our friends at Trina for their community event.”