During a Breitbart News event on Wednesday, Dan Barceló, CEO of T1 Energy, highlighted China’s leading role in global solar manufacturing and suggested that the U.S. should strive to outpace China by increasing its own production capacity and supply chain.
With the rising energy demands from AI and data centers, Barceló pointed out the benefits of solar energy: it’s “currently the fastest to market,” it’s “one of the most cost-effective to develop,” and once connected to the grid, it incurs “zero marginal cost.”
He emphasized the significant disparity in solar production between the U.S. and China, calling for a more ambitious national initiative. When asked about Elon Musk’s recent remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he mentioned a goal of generating 100 gigawatts of solar power annually, Barceló recognized the importance of scale but maintained that the U.S. has yet to reach a level necessary to compete with China.
“The U.S. has just over 50 gigawatts of capacity. China far surpasses us, boasting over 1,000 gigawatts. I think what Elon is doing is impressive—it’s monumental. Some might even say it’s relatively modest from a Chinese viewpoint. The U.S. should actually aim to be twice that size,” he noted.
While Barceló clarified that T1 Energy does not produce semiconductors, he stressed the interconnectedness of materials and supply chains. “In the solar industry, especially with polysilicon-based solar, polysilicon is crucial for semiconductors as well,” he elaborated. “We must establish the polysilicon supply chain domestically. This is vital not just for solar, but also for the semiconductor sector.”
He updated attendees on T1’s solar manufacturing venture in Texas. “We’re setting up a solar plant in Milam County, Rockdale, at the site of the old Coast Melt Furnace, with construction already underway. Production is expected to kick off by the end of this year, with a capacity of 2.1 gigawatts feeding into a 5-gigawatt site in Dallas,” he explained. “The raw materials will come from Michigan, and Corning will supply the wafers, allowing us to complete the American Poly, American Wafer, American Cell supply chain.”
He connected the need for expanded solar energy to enhancing the resilience of the power grid in extreme weather. “The main strategy should be how to harness as much energy as possible rapidly and deploy it efficiently,” Barceló stated. “Natural gas has played a significant role in the Texas power grid as a foundational element. However, with the current reliance on natural gas, we aren’t exporting it. The more we integrate storage and batteries, alongside solar, the better positioned we are to export LNG.”
He also linked solar power to rejuvenating the nation’s manufacturing base. “Solar power can significantly boost manufacturing,” Barceló remarked. “We don’t have to generate solar power solely in oil and gas regions; it can be produced anywhere there’s a manufacturing plant. It requires automation, robotics, and human input, but this is crucial for the power grid’s infrastructure.”
Barceló viewed this moment as part of a larger initiative to restore American leadership in energy. “Historically, America was not the top oil producer—that was Saudi Arabia. Now it is. Likewise, it wasn’t the top gas producer; that title was held by Russia. Now, it’s the U.S. There’s no reason for China to remain the leading solar power producer. America can achieve that position, too.”
