WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Tesla (TSLA) is moving quickly to turn Elon Musk's ambitious solar goals into reality, evaluating several U.S. locations to begin large-scale solar cell manufacturing, according to people familiar with the discussions. What initially sounded like a long-term vision is now taking shape as a concrete industrial effort.
The company is considering expanding its existing factory in Buffalo, New York, where solar cell capacity could be scaled up significantly. Sources said output at the site could eventually reach levels comparable to the power generation of multiple nuclear plants. Beyond that, Tesla is also weighing the possibility of building an additional facility elsewhere in New York state.
Arizona and Idaho are among other states being reviewed as potential manufacturing hubs. The initiative is being overseen by Tesla's vice president of energy engineering, who has recently stepped up hiring efforts tied to domestic solar production.
The renewed push reflects growing pressure from rising energy demand, particularly from artificial intelligence infrastructure, which has driven Musk to refocus on solar after earlier efforts failed to gain traction. Solar cells, the core component used to make panels, remain a bottleneck in the U.S., where production is limited and heavily overshadowed by China.
Musk has publicly cited steep tariffs on imported solar products as a key motivation for building capacity at home. He has said both Tesla and SpaceX are working toward producing as much as 100 gigawatts of solar cells annually, a level that would place Tesla far ahead of current U.S. manufacturers.
Government officials in the states under consideration have either declined to comment or said discussions remain preliminary. Tesla has also not publicly confirmed the plans.
If achieved, the scale of production being discussed would dramatically reshape the U.S. solar manufacturing landscape. Domestic output today remains modest, and most American facilities focus on assembling panels rather than producing the cells themselves. Tesla's strategy signals a shift toward vertical integration as it looks to secure energy supply for data centers on Earth and in orbit.
The effort marks a new chapter in Tesla's long-running solar ambitions, years after it acquired SolarCity and the limited adoption of its Solar Roof product. This time, the focus is squarely on industrial-scale manufacturing, to position Tesla as a dominant force in a sector long controlled by overseas suppliers.
TSLA closed at $411.11, up 3.50%, and is trading slightly higher after hours at $411.85, up 0.18%, on the NasdaqGS.
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