Utility-scale solar projects run on tight schedules, and slight delays in one phase often ripple through the entire development process. New data shows that 70–90% of renewable energy projects fail due to pre-development risks, such as permitting, interconnection, design, and procurement challenges. Supply chain instability contributes to these hurdles, with developers naming it as the leading cause of delays in solar deployment, and 40% of renewable energy providers viewing it as a top risk.

These early-stage hurdles can drive up development costs, extend timelines, and shake investor confidence. Although permitting reforms and extended interconnection backlogs remain outside the direct control of developers and EPCs, they can take proactive risk mitigation measures against supply chain volatility. Forward-thinking firms can successfully navigate these challenges by focusing on suppliers with domestically assembled solar modules and embracing comprehensive solar solutions.

Trinasolar’s family of large-format 210mm Vertex modules, assembled in Texas and bundled in the TrinaPro total solar solution, empowers developers and EPCs to tackle critical early-stage vulnerabilities while paving the way for a domestic module supply chain.

Financial Implications of Solar Supply Chain Disruptions

In Q3 2024, the U.S. imported 15 GW of panels, with more than 80% sourced from regions facing tariffs. This dependence exposes utility-scale solar project development to geopolitical tensions, shipping bottlenecks, and tariff volatility, which delay timelines and inflate costs.

Potential for Higher Interconnection Costs

By prolonging project timelines, a supply chain squeeze creates interconnection risks and can potentially cause a project to withdraw from the queue. Data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) shows that solar projects leaving the interconnection queue face costs four to six times higher than completed projects.

Sunk Costs and Unrecoverable Investments

When delays stretch beyond financing timelines, projects might face cancellation, leading to unrecoverable investments. From 2019 to 2023, about one-third of U.S. solar siting applications faced cancellations due to such delays, resulting in average sunk costs of $2 million per project. These losses primarily arise from non-refundable deposits for grid interconnection studies, land leases, and engineering expenses that become wasted if modules arrive late or tariffs void initial cost calculations.

Inefficient Capital Allocations

Unpredictable supply conditions also force many developers to allocate a percentage of their budgets to contingency reserves — now triple pre-pandemic levels — to hedge against potential delays. Some lenders impose higher interest rates, increasing weighted average capital costs (WACC) for projects reliant on global suppliers. These financial precautions can reduce capital efficiency, require substantial liquidity buffers, and divert funds from capacity expansions.

Local manufacturing circumvents customs uncertainties and speeds up lead times compared to overseas procurement, enabling just-in-time delivery and reducing inventory carrying costs. It also allows real-time quality control, minimizing the risk of defective components derailing projects during commissioning, which can be an issue when relying on distant suppliers.

Additionally, focusing on a domestic supply chain can potentially offer financial benefits by enhancing debt service coverage ratioses (DSCR) thanks to more predictable cost structures. Some lenders can be more willing to reduce interest rates for projects using domestically produced components, which contributes to lower WACC and potentially decreases levelized costs.

However, new challenges have emerged for unprepared stakeholders as the nation pivots from globalized solar supply chains and onshores its solar manufacturing sector.

Ensuring Reliability with Tier 1 PV Modules

It’s more important than ever for developers and EPCs to consider the bigger picture beyond whether a module is locally assembled. The recent influx of tier 2 vendors offering attractively priced US-made modules may mask subpar manufacturing capabilities, unsustainable inventory practices, or inadequate warranty protections.

This bears out in data showing that modules with higher defect rates have become a recurring problem with new market entrants providing U.S.-manufactured products. For instance, quality inspections in 2025 revealed that modules assembled in the U.S. exhibited defect rates exceeding those from more established manufacturing hubs like China and Southeast Asia. Common issues included inconsistent cell soldering, subpar junction box sealing, and frame irregularities, all requiring post-installation repairs or replacements.

These defects often don’t surface until commissioning or early operational phases, when developers must halt construction, source replacement modules, and reconfigure system designs. These interruptions extend project timelines by weeks or months, particularly when coupled with supply chain constraints.

Undertaking the due diligence to identify modules with low degradation rates and recognized mechanical performance is more critical than ever to ensure greater certainty in long-term performance and energy yield, making them essential factors for securing power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The Strategic Value of Total Solar Solutions

Recognized by third-party organizations for industry-leading ultra-low degradation and earning Overall High Achiever for reliability, energy yield, and performance, Trinasolar’s Vertex modules, assembled in Texas, are a key piece of the puzzle for reducing downstream delays and removing supply chain uncertainty. With access to this supply of Tier 1 large-format Vertex modules in both n-type TOPCon and p-type PERC cells on the advanced 210mm platform, utility-scale solar developers and EPCs can proceed confidently and efficiently toward the Notice to Proceed (NTP), enhance overall project resilience, and improve financial outcomes.

Beyond module manufacturing and reliability, TrinaPro total solar solutions bundles balance-of-system components and storage systems with domestically assembled Vertex modules and has become a cornerstone of pre-development utility-scale risk mitigation. The one-stop solar shop streamlines procurement, handles pre-engineering design, and speeds up installation by ensuring component compatibility, reducing complexities, and minimizing delays from mismatched equipment.

The pre-engineering design enables developers to leverage the technical expertise of industry veterans who understand how different system components interact, potentially identifying optimization opportunities that might otherwise be missed with fragmented procurement approaches and avoiding pre-development design risks.

With a dedicated roadmap for U.S.-based supply chain partnerships, Trinasolar US is your partner for a future-proofed utility-scale solar project pipeline.

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