On a Nov. 30 webinar with ROTH Capital Partners, Enphase CEO Badri Kothandaraman announced the company plans to start four to six new U.S. manufacturing lines in 2023. Enphase will be working with three contract manufacturers, two of which are current partners, to produce 4.8 to 7.2 GWAC of U.S. microinverters per year.
Badri said the company is committed to three new lines regardless of what happens with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to meet demand for its products. Uncertainty remains around the domestic manufacturing tax credits in the new law, which is why Enphase is still speaking tentatively about U.S. plans. Manufacturers are waiting for more information from the Dept. of the Treasury about how products qualify for the manufacturing incentives. Many parts of inverters will still need to be sourced from overseas, with final assembly happening in the U.S.
In ROTH’s webinar, Enphase said it believes it can keep a majority of the 11¢/W credit available for microinverters. Badri said Enphase would not be making the investment in U.S. capacity unless the company is receiving a significant ROI.
