Qcells residential solar panels to feature aluminum frames made in Tennessee

Qcells will offer new versions of its home solar panels, the Q.TRON AC and Q.PEAK DUO AC, with aluminum frames made in the United States. The frames will be extruded, anodized, and fabricated in Halls, Tennessee, through a partnership with ALUKO Group. Full production is expected to start by the end of 2026, with enough capacity to support 4 gigawatts of solar panels a year.

For homeowners, the main significance is for certain solar projects that are owned by a third party rather than the homeowner, such as some leased or power-purchase-agreement systems. Those projects can qualify for a "domestic content bonus," an added incentive tied to using U.S.-made components. Panels with these Tennessee-made frames would help such projects meet the domestic content rules needed to claim that bonus.

This news does not change anything for homeowners who already own panels or are buying a system outright, since it only applies to specific project types tied to domestic content eligibility. If you are considering a leased or third-party-owned solar system, it may be worth asking whether the panels offered use domestically made components like these new Qcells frames, since that could affect whether the project qualifies for extra incentives.