Australian solar innovator 5B lands biggest Maverick order, to be made in new India factory

Australian solar innovator 5B has taken its largest order yet, for 70MW of its prefabricated and rapid-deploy Maverick PV arrays to be delivered to the US from a new factory the company is building in India to help meet growing international demand.

News of the new offshore manufacturing facility was announced in the dying days of 2023, as part of a deal with Waaree Renewable Technologies – a leading solar EPC company in India.

In the announcement to the India stock exchange, Waaree said it had signed an agreement with 5B to build its Maverick solutions in India, with an eye to pushing down its production cost to “an economically competitive price point” and to explore opportunities for expanding production capacity.

Production experts from 5B’s Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Adelaide are spearheading the set up of the co-located Waaree-5B manufacturing hub in Chikhli, near Surat. It is due to be operational in the second half of this year and has the potential to ramp up to gigawatt scale.

5B said at the time of the deal that the expansion to India helps accelerate the deployment of utility-scale solar power in India while also opening a door to the US market with the creation of a US-compliant supply chain.

This tactic appears to be paying off, already, with the announcement of the first US purchase order – and 5B’s largest single order, ever.

Commercial details of the deal remain confidential, but 5B says the order will see it manufacture and deliver about 1400 Maverick arrays, containing more than 125,000 modules, with shipment to site starting in the .

“This partnership with one of India’s leading solar EPC companies gives us a foothold in the biggest solar market, with a cost-effective domestic manufacturing hub, and the capability for swift scaling to gigawatt production,” said 5B chief David Griffin in a statement in December.

“It complements 5B’s Centre of Excellence in Adelaide and broader existing global supply chain to ensure we can deliver competitive solutions for customers and EPC partners in key markets.

“This co-located Waaree-5B manufacturing hub also signals an exciting new milestone on the path to directly integrating module manufacturing with 5B Maverick assembly,” Griffin said.

“By integrating 5B’s cutting-edge Maverick technology into our manufacturing processes, we anticipate setting new industry standards, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability, and solidifying our position as leaders in the renewable energy sector,” said Waaree managing director Pujan Doshi.