Silfab furloughs workers at SC solar panel plant

Silfab Solar has furloughed workers at its solar panel plant in Fort Mill, South Carolina, citing a shortage of certain materials needed for production. The company had already paused production earlier this month for the same reason, though workers stayed on to handle maintenance and other tasks during that pause. Silfab expects this furlough to last three to four weeks. It has not said how many workers are affected.

This follows a similar move by Heliene, another solar panel maker, which laid off nearly 100 workers at its Minnesota plant earlier this month due to what it called unforeseen business circumstances. Both companies are Canadian-headquartered but manufacture panels in the United States. The disruptions come as the U.S. solar industry deals with new tariff investigations and supply chain problems. Ongoing government investigations into whether certain countries are dumping cheap solar cells into the U.S. market are causing the supply of those cells to fluctuate, and newly announced tariffs on polysilicon, a raw material used in solar panels, are expected to raise prices on panels made domestically.

For homeowners considering solar panels, this is worth watching rather than acting on right away. It does not change any rebate or incentive program, but it points to a period of price uncertainty and possible supply delays for U.S.-made panels as manufacturers work through material shortages and new tariffs.