927: Everyone Built Modules. He Built Cells. | Alex Zhu, ES Foundry
Rebuilding solar manufacturing in the U.S. is not just about capital or policy. It is about making the right bets at the right time.
It comes down to timing, experience, and the critical decisions.
Alex Zhu has spent nearly two decades inside the global solar manufacturing system—from the early rise of Chinese production to failed U.S. factory attempts, and now to building one of the few solar cell manufacturing facilities in America through ES Foundry.
In this conversation, Alex explains why he focused on solar cells instead of modules. Module assembly scaled quickly after the IRA. Cell…
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