Origami sundeveloper of the patent-pending steel frame for solar panels, says that production samples of its new Gen 2 steel module frame are ready for evaluation and certification testing.
Leveraging investments in U.S. module production capacity by sourcing domestic steel frames can lower costs, create jobs and take advantage of domestic content incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, the company says. It also offers an opportunity to end the solar industry’s dependence on imported aluminum.
“Our Gen 2 frames are lighter, stronger, and ideally suited to provide superior support for large-scale modules entering the market,” said Gregg Patterson, CEO of Origami Solar. “Working with steel fabricators and precision rolling mills, we’ve designed the Origami steel module frame to fit industry standard frames, making the transition from aluminum to steel seamless in module manufacturing and field installation.”
Add Thomas Welser Profile of Welserwhich manufactures roll-formed steel products, “Our goal throughout this process has been to support Origami Solar to ensure that any solar panel manufacturer can quickly integrate and scale these frames with virtually no changes to their production processes. US and Europe.”
Along with supporting increased domestic recycled steel production, Origami Solar frames are expected to reduce production-related greenhouse gases by up to 93%, which translates to a reduction of 80 kg per module or 200 tons per megawatt.
With performance testing by third-party labs and module manufacturers nearing completion, Gen 2 production-ready frames are now available for evaluation testing by module manufacturers and key partners in the solar value chain.
