U.S. tracker manufacturer Nextpower, formerly Nextracker, has entered into a multi-year supply agreement with Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries for U.S.-manufactured steel module frames.
Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries is one of the longest operating solar module manufacturers in the United States. Under the agreement, Nextpower will supply more than 1 GW of steel frames, scalable to up to 3 GW over a three-year period, to support module manufacturing at Jinko Solar’s facility in Jacksonville, with production expected to commence in mid-2026.
“This agreement with Jinko Solar represents clear market validation of steel frames as a reliable and cost-effective solution that supports both module durability and U.S. manufacturing priorities,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextpower. “It also reinforces how the U.S. solar industry is industrializing, aligning domestic manufacturing, policy incentives, and proven technology at gigawatt scale.”
For developers, U.S.-made steel frames add 6% to a tracker project’s domestic content calculation, according to U.S. Treasury Department guidance.
“Arevon is excited about Nextpower’s introduction of advanced solar module frames that enhance module durability and are designed and manufactured in the USA,” said Justin Johnson, COO of Arevon, a utility-scale solar developer. “Nextpower’s focus on component and system reliability is greatly welcomed for solar projects, especially in areas of extreme weather.”
To simplify project logistics and reinforce the domestic supply chain, Nextpower plans to further expand its steel frame manufacturing presence in the southeastern United States to enable direct supply to the Jinko Solar U.S. facility in Jacksonville. This strategy follows Nextpower’s recent expansion of its steel component manufacturing capacity in Memphis – one of more than 25 U.S. factories Nextpower has opened or expanded since 2021.
“Improving module durability and strengthening domestic supply chains are closely linked priorities,” said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager at Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc. “From our fourth-generation extreme weather module platform to our Jacksonville facility, which has operated since 2018, we have consistently invested ahead of the market. Partnering with Nextpower to integrate domestically produced steel frames into our U.S. modules is a natural extension of that leadership, aligning with U.S. manufacturing priorities, while delivering greater durability at scale for customers and the broader solar industry.”
Industry-wide reliability data is increasingly shaping procurement decisions for utility-scale solar projects. Independent testing has demonstrated the structural advantages of steel frames, including improved torsional stiffness and reduced deflection under mechanical load—key factors in supporting long-term module reliability.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.