Back to supply chains
Where does REC Solar source its components?
Norway. Supply chain mapped to 37 inputs across 7 countries.
Federal screeningClean
No federal designation found. REC Group is not named on any of the 3 federal restricted-party lists screened for this record (DOD Section 1260H, BIS Entity List, OFAC SDN List), and Norway is not a covered nation under the FEOC rules. Is REC Solar a Foreign Entity of Concern?
Upstream sourcing exposure
High80% weighted
27 in covered nations - 5 elevated, of 37 nodes.
Where inputs are mined and refined. Not a FEOC determination for the company -- see the federal list screening above.
Refining chokepoint
7 of 7 processing/refining steps in covered nations
Producer1
Component11
Processing / Refining7
Raw Material11
Mine / Extraction7
designated covered nation elevated no known factor not assessed
Loading chain view...
Sourcing Concentration by Country
Covered NationAllied NationOther
Sourcing risk across the graph
Where each input is mined or refined. Not a FEOC determination for the company.
0
Designated (0%)
27
Covered nation (73%)
5
Elevated (14%)
5
No known factor (14%)
Legend
Node Types
Producer
Supplier
Component
Processing / Refining
Raw Material
Mine / Extraction
Logistics
Sourcing risk
Federally designated - named on a restricted-party list
Covered nation - sited in China, Russia, Iran or North Korea
Elevated - documented concentration risk, no federal listing
No known risk factor - not a compliance clearance
Not assessed - no sourcing judgement was made
Relationships
Transformation - manufactures / assembles
Refining - midstream processing (FEOC chokepoint)
Supply handoff - supplies / sources from
Arrows point in the direction material flows (input to product).
Every mapped input in the REC Solar supply chain
37 nodes, grouped by supply-chain tier. Sourcing risk describes where an input is mined or refined; it is not a FEOC determination for REC Solar.
Producer (1)
| Input | Origin | Sourcing risk | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| REC Solar (REC Group)Module assembly: Singapore (Tuas); Norwegian-founded (Renewable Energy Corporation, 1996), owned by Reliance Industries | Norway | No known risk factor | Premium HJT (heterojunction) module maker. Norway heritage; cells/modules assembled in Singapore. Historic silicon arm REC Solar Norway shut Nov 2023. |
Component (11)
| Input | Origin | Sourcing risk | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| HJT Solar CellREC Tuas, Singapore | Singapore | Elevated sourcing risk | Heterojunction cell: n-type c-Si wafer + a-Si:H passivation + ITO TCO + low-temp Ag paste. Core light-to-electricity converter. |
| Front Cover Glass (low-iron tempered) | China | Covered nation | Low-iron anti-reflective tempered solar glass. ~90% of global solar-glass capacity is in China (Xinyi Solar, Flat Glass Group). |
| Encapsulant (EVA / POE film) | China | Covered nation | HJT typically uses POE/EPE encapsulant to resist PID and TCO corrosion; film converting dominated by Chinese suppliers. |
| Backsheet / Rear Cover | China | Covered nation | Polymer backsheet or glass rear cover (bifacial glass-glass). Fluoropolymer films; converting concentrated in Asia. |
| Aluminum Frame | China | Covered nation | 6000-series (6005/6063) anodized aluminum extrusion. Frame extrusion and Al smelting dominated by China (>50% global primary Al). |
| Junction Box + Bypass Diodes | China | Covered nation | Houses bypass diodes and cabling/MC4 connectors. Assembly concentrated in China; contains copper, plastics, semiconductors. |
| PV Interconnect Ribbon (tinned copper) | China | Covered nation | Tin-coated flat copper tabbing/busbar ribbon soldering cells in series. Ulbrich/Targray exist but volume ribbon largely Chinese. |
| n-type Silicon Wafer | China | Covered nation | Monocrystalline n-type Cz wafer. Wafer slicing ~97% concentrated in China regardless of polysilicon origin. |
| a-Si:H Passivation LayerREC Tuas, Singapore | Singapore | Elevated sourcing risk | Thin amorphous-silicon passivation deposited via PECVD at REC; uses silane gas. In-house cell process step. |
| ITO Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) | China | Covered nation | Sputtered indium-tin-oxide layer, HJT-specific. Indium refining ~70% China; ITO sputter targets China-heavy. |
| Low-Temperature Silver Paste | China | Covered nation | HJT uses low-temp-cure Ag paste on both sides, consuming more silver than PERC. Paste formulation dominated by Chinese/Japanese makers. |
Processing and refining (7)
| Input | Origin | Sourcing risk | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Metal Smelter (submerged-arc)Xinjiang / Yunnan, China | China | Covered nation | Carbothermic reduction of quartz to silicon metal. China dominates smelting; Xinjiang capacity a FEOC concern. |
| Polysilicon Refinery (Siemens / FBR)Xinjiang / Inner Mongolia, China | China | Covered nation | Refines silicon metal to solar-grade polysilicon. THE FEOC chokepoint: >95% Chinese, Xinjiang forced-labor exposure. |
| Silver Refiner / Smelter | China | Covered nation | Silver largely refined as byproduct of lead/zinc/copper smelting; significant capacity in China. Origin-dependent = review. |
| Indium Refinery (from zinc residues) | China | Covered nation | Hydrometallurgical extraction of In from zinc flue dust/slag. China ~70% of world refined indium; chokepoint for HJT. |
| Copper Smelter / Electrolytic Refinery | China | Covered nation | ~45% of global refined copper produced in China; allied-mined copper refined in China = flagged. |
| Aluminum Smelter (Hall-Héroult) | China | Covered nation | Electrolytic Al reduction; China dominant. Allied bauxite refined/smelted in China = flagged chokepoint. |
| Antimony Refiner (sodium antimonate)Hunan, China | China | Covered nation | Refines antimony ore to sodium antimonate/ATO for PV glass. China >70% of global refining; chokepoint. |
Raw material (11)
| Input | Origin | Sourcing risk | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar-Grade Polysilicon | China | Covered nation | Purified polysilicon feedstock for wafers. >95% of global polysilicon refined in China (Tongwei, GCL, Xinte). |
| Silicon Metal (metallurgical grade) | China | Covered nation | ~98-99.5% Si intermediate from quartz reduction. China ~80% of global silicon-metal output. |
| High-Purity Quartz / Silica | United States | No known risk factor | HPQ feedstock (SiO2) for silicon metal. Spruce Pine, NC is the dominant HPQ source; also crucible quartz. |
| Refined Silver | Mexico | Elevated sourcing risk | Silver metal for cell metallization. Mined mainly Mexico/Peru/China; much refined as base-metal byproduct. |
| Refined Indium | China | Covered nation | Feedstock for ITO. ~70% of refined indium from China; export controls imposed. Zinc-refining byproduct. |
| Refined Tin (for ITO / ribbon coat) | China | Covered nation | Tin for tin-oxide in ITO and tin coating on Cu ribbon. Mined China/Indonesia/Myanmar; China leads smelting. |
| Refined Copper | Chile | Elevated sourcing risk | Copper for ribbon and junction-box wiring. Mined mainly Chile/Peru; ~45% of world refined copper is smelted in China. |
| Primary Aluminum | China | Covered nation | Smelted aluminum for frame billet. China >50% of world primary Al, coal-powered smelting. |
| Alumina (Al2O3) | China | Covered nation | Refined from bauxite via Bayer process; China leads alumina refining and imports bauxite (Guinea/Australia). |
| Ultra-low-iron Silica Sand | China | Covered nation | Feedstock for solar glass; Sibelco (EU), Quarzwerke (DE) and Jiangsu/Donghai (China) major suppliers. |
| Antimony (Sodium Antimonate / ATO) | China | Covered nation | Fining/clarifying agent in solar glass. China >70% of ATO output; export controls in place. |
Mine and extraction (7)
| Input | Origin | Sourcing risk | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quartz Mine (Spruce Pine)Spruce Pine, North Carolina | United States | No known risk factor | World's leading high-purity quartz deposit; feeds crucibles and silicon-metal feedstock. |
| Silver MineZacatecas / Chihuahua / Durango, Mexico | Mexico | No known risk factor | Mexico is #1 silver producer (~6,300 t 2024); mostly Pb/Zn byproduct. China #2, Peru #3. |
| Zinc Mine (indium-bearing) | China | Covered nation | Indium is a byproduct of zinc/lead ore; recovered from smelter residues. China leads zinc smelting and indium recovery. |
| Copper MineAtacama region, Chile | Chile | No known risk factor | Chile is the world's largest copper producer; Peru #2. Ore concentrate then smelted/refined elsewhere. |
| Bauxite MineBoké region, Guinea | Guinea | Elevated sourcing risk | Guinea and Australia are top bauxite sources; much exported to China for refining. |
| Silica Sand QuarryJiangsu, China | China | Covered nation | Low-iron quartz sand quarried for solar float glass; major deposits in China, also Europe (Sibelco). |
| Antimony MineHunan, China | China | Covered nation | Hunan is the global epicenter of antimony reserves; China supplements with ore from Myanmar/Russia/Tajikistan. |
Material flow (39 relationships)
- REC Solar (REC Group) manufactures HJT Solar Cell (HJT solar cell)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles Front Cover Glass (low-iron tempered) (front cover glass)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles Encapsulant (EVA / POE film) (encapsulant film)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles Backsheet / Rear Cover (backsheet / rear cover)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles Aluminum Frame (aluminum frame)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles Junction Box + Bypass Diodes (junction box)
- REC Solar (REC Group) assembles PV Interconnect Ribbon (tinned copper) (interconnect ribbon)
- HJT Solar Cell assembles n-type Silicon Wafer (silicon wafer)
- HJT Solar Cell manufactures a-Si:H Passivation Layer (a-Si:H passivation)
- HJT Solar Cell assembles ITO Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) (ITO TCO layer)
- HJT Solar Cell assembles Low-Temperature Silver Paste (silver paste metallization)
- n-type Silicon Wafer sources from Solar-Grade Polysilicon (solar-grade polysilicon)
- a-Si:H Passivation Layer sources from Solar-Grade Polysilicon (silane / silicon feedstock)
- Solar-Grade Polysilicon refines Polysilicon Refinery (Siemens / FBR) (polysilicon refining)
- Polysilicon Refinery (Siemens / FBR) sources from Silicon Metal (metallurgical grade) (silicon metal feedstock)
- Silicon Metal (metallurgical grade) refines Silicon Metal Smelter (submerged-arc) (silicon metal smelting)
- Silicon Metal Smelter (submerged-arc) sources from High-Purity Quartz / Silica (high-purity quartz)
- High-Purity Quartz / Silica sources from Quartz Mine (Spruce Pine) (quartz ore)
- Low-Temperature Silver Paste sources from Refined Silver (refined silver)
- Refined Silver refines Silver Refiner / Smelter (silver refining)
- Silver Refiner / Smelter sources from Silver Mine (silver ore / doré)
- ITO Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) sources from Refined Indium (refined indium)
- ITO Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) sources from Refined Tin (for ITO / ribbon coat) (tin (tin oxide))
- Refined Indium refines Indium Refinery (from zinc residues) (indium refining)
- Indium Refinery (from zinc residues) sources from Zinc Mine (indium-bearing) (zinc residues (indium-bearing))
- PV Interconnect Ribbon (tinned copper) sources from Refined Copper (copper conductor)
- PV Interconnect Ribbon (tinned copper) sources from Refined Tin (for ITO / ribbon coat) (tin coating)
- Junction Box + Bypass Diodes sources from Refined Copper (copper wiring)
- Refined Copper refines Copper Smelter / Electrolytic Refinery (copper refining)
- Copper Smelter / Electrolytic Refinery sources from Copper Mine (copper concentrate)
- Aluminum Frame sources from Primary Aluminum (primary aluminum)
- Primary Aluminum refines Aluminum Smelter (Hall-Héroult) (aluminum smelting)
- Aluminum Smelter (Hall-Héroult) sources from Alumina (Al2O3) (alumina)
- Alumina (Al2O3) sources from Bauxite Mine (bauxite ore)
- Front Cover Glass (low-iron tempered) sources from Ultra-low-iron Silica Sand (low-iron silica sand)
- Front Cover Glass (low-iron tempered) sources from Antimony (Sodium Antimonate / ATO) (antimony fining agent)
- Ultra-low-iron Silica Sand sources from Silica Sand Quarry (silica sand)
- Antimony (Sodium Antimonate / ATO) refines Antimony Refiner (sodium antimonate) (antimony refining)
- Antimony Refiner (sodium antimonate) sources from Antimony Mine (antimony ore)
Sources and methodology
Research-based supply-chain map compiled from public sources - not an audited bill of materials. Tiers reflect the standard industry structure for this product. Sourcing risk on a node describes where that input is typically mined or refined; it is not a FEOC determination for REC Solar, and it is not a screening result for the node itself unless a federal listing is cited against it. Verify against primary documentation before making a compliance determination.
Primary sources (1) - government, filings, standards bodies
Secondary sources (24) - trade press, analysts, reference works
- recgroup.com recgroup.com/en/news/rec-join-forces-norway-based-elkem
- pv-magazine.com pv-magazine.com/2022/06/06/rec-our-future-is-in-hjt/
- 8msolar.com 8msolar.com/rec-solar-panels-review/
- snl.no snl.no/REC_Solar_Norway
- taiyangnews.info taiyangnews.info/business/indias-reliance-industries-offloads-rec-solar-norway
- nib.int nib.int/articles/solar-silicon-production-takes-off-in-norway
- energysage.com energysage.com/solar/what-are-solar-panels-made-of-list-of-solar-pv-materials/
- itif.org itif.org/publications/2025/09/08/china-plans-to-dominate-a-key-semiconductor-material/
- solarpowerworldonline.com solarpowerworldonline.com/2025/12/china-takes-9-of-top-10-polysilicon-manufacturer-spots-expanding-industry-dominance/
- cen.acs.org cen.acs.org/energy/solar-power/US-solar-polysilicon-supply-problem/100/i33
- en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterojunction_solar_cell
- pv-magazine.com pv-magazine.com/2025/04/03/heterojunction-solar-cell-based-on-indium-tin-oxide-buffer-layer-achieves-25-36-efficiency/
- sfa-oxford.com sfa-oxford.com/rare-earths-and-minor-metals/minor-metals-and-minerals/indium-market-and-indium-price-drivers/
- projectblue.com projectblue.com/blue/opinion-pieces/1132/chinese-export-restrictions-may-disrupt-indium-market-
- questmetals.com questmetals.com/blog/how-indium-s-price-is-tied-to-zinc-mining-production
- investingnews.com investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/precious-metals-investing/silver-investing/top-silver-producing-countries/
- 24chemicalresearch.com 24chemicalresearch.com/blog/12303/solar-cell-metal-paste-breakthroughs-in-2025
- dataintelo.com dataintelo.com/report/ultra-low-iron-silica-sand-for-solar-glass-market
- investornews.com investornews.com/market-opinion/the-dark-side-of-solar-glass-antimony-geopolitics-and-the-energy-transition/
- mining.com.au mining.com.au/the-a-to-z-of-antimony/
- discoveryalert.com.au discoveryalert.com.au/solar-subsidies-aluminium-supply-chains-china-2026/
- solaracks.com solaracks.com/aluminum-production-process/
- ulbrich.com ulbrich.com/products/pv-ribbon-wire/tabbing-wire/
- targray.com targray.com/solar/pv-ribbon
Common questions
- Where does REC Solar source the inputs in this product?
- This map traces 37 inputs across 7 countries, including 14 mines and refiners. It is compiled from public sources and is not an audited bill of materials.
- How much of the REC Solar supply chain sits in a covered nation?
- 27 of 37 mapped inputs are sited in a covered nation (China, Russia, Iran or North Korea) or named on a federal restricted-party list. A further 5 carry elevated sourcing risk without either basis.
- Is REC Solar itself a Foreign Entity of Concern?
- No federal designation found. REC Group is not named on any of the 3 federal restricted-party lists screened for this record (DOD Section 1260H, BIS Entity List, OFAC SDN List), and Norway is not a covered nation under the FEOC rules. Sourcing risk in this map describes where inputs are mined and refined and is a separate question from the company's own federal screening.