Array Technologies triples its U.S. manufacturing footprint

Array Technologies, a maker of solar trackers (the motorized mounts that tilt solar panels to follow the sun), has opened a new $50 million manufacturing plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 216,000-square-foot facility nearly triples the company's previous production capacity and will employ about 300 people. Array, founded more than three decades ago in Albuquerque, has now deployed 100 gigawatts of solar trackers worldwide.

The new plant lets Array make more components in-house instead of buying them from outside suppliers. Several of those components will qualify for a federal tax credit for domestic manufacturing, known as the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. The project was funded through a mix of public and private money, including $2.5 million from a New Mexico state job-creation program and $250,000 each from the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, plus a partial property-tax break tied to an industrial revenue bond.

This is a large-scale solar industry story rather than something that changes rebates or costs for homeowners directly — it involves utility-scale solar tracking equipment, not rooftop panels or home energy systems. But it points to continued growth in U.S.-made solar hardware, which can affect the broader supply and pricing of solar equipment over time. Array also recently reported record quarterly earnings and a $2.5 billion order backlog, and it completed the purchase of Affordable Wire Management, a company that makes wiring and cable-protection equipment for large solar and battery storage projects.