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ARRA Compliant Solar Panels - Buy American

Under the "Buy American" provision of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), public projects backed by ARRA funds must use ARRA-compliant products. This article explains exactly what "ARRA" means, and provides a regularly updated list of the ARRA-compliant products offered by EcoDirect.com.

What does it mean to be ARRA Compliant?

An ARRA-Compliant product wasn't necessarily made in the United States of America. ARRA Compliant only means that the product meets one of the two following guidelines:

  1. Was the product substantially made in the USA?

    This refers to the "cost of domestic components" test from the ARRA of 1933. If the domestic content of a product is over 50% with manufacturing within the US, it can be considered ARRA Compliant.

  2. Did a substantial transformation occur in the USA?

    This guideline is a little less straightforward than the previous one. To determine whether "substantial transformation" has taken place, the following list of questions is provided. A "yes" to any of these means that the product is ARRA Compliant:

    American Flag

    • Were all components sourced and assembled in the USA?

    • Was there a change in character or use of the good or the components in America? (ie. change in functionality, more specialized uses, etc.)

    • Were the processes performed in the US complex and meaningful? (ie. high cost, skill, time, etc.)

  3. Certain products, such as Enphase, are also qualified for the ARRA via exception.

For more information, here is an extensive Buy American FAQ from the US Government. Further details on determining whether or not a product is ARRA compliant can be found in this 2009 document .

ARRA Compliant Products

Below is comprehensive list of EcoDirect products that are "ARRA Compliant."

Solar Panels
Brand Documentation Details
Kyocera Kyocera on ARRA Compliance Kyocera's 210-240 Watt panels are manufactured at their San Diego plant with components purchased in countries we have free-trade agreements with.
SCHOTT SCHOTT on American-Made panels SCHOTT's Solar Poly modules are made in its Albuquerque, New Mexico facility.
Schuco Schuco on ARRA Compliance Schuco's PS03 Series modules are compliant.
Sharp Sharp on ARRA Compliance Sharp produces modules in the US and Japan with a manufacturing facility located in Memphis, TN.
SolarWorld SolarWorld on its American Made panels SolarWorld manufactures many of its panels in Hillsboro, OR and Camarillo, CA with pride.
Suniva Suniva's Website Suniva proclaims its compliance on its front page with panels produced in Atlanta.
Charge Controllers
Brand Documentation Details
MidNite Solar Midnite Solar on ARRA Compliance Almost all of Midnite Solar's products are made in its facility in Arlington, Washington.
Power Inverters
Brand Documentation Details
Enphase Enphase ARRA Exemption Enphase microinverters are one of the most popular products on the market right now. They are based in the US.
Exeltech About Exeltech Exeltech's products are made in Fort Worth, Texas.
Power-One About Power-One With its headquarters in Camarillo, CA and manufacturing worldwide, Power-One products sold in the US are ARRA Compliant.
PV Powered About PV Powered PV Powered products are manufactured in Oregon.
SMA SMA on ARRA Compliance SB3000US, SB4000US, SB5000US, SB6000US, SB7000US, SB800US, Sunny Central SC630HE-11, and SMA-Manufactured Combiner Boxes.
SolarEdge SolarEdge ARRA Waiver SolarEdge has an office in California and ARRA compliant via waiver.
Solectria Solectria on ARRA Compliance Solectria manufactures its products in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Xantrex About Xantrex Xantrex manufactures its products in Livermore, CA.
Mounting
Brand Documentation Details
DPW Solar DPW Solar on ARRA Compliance A number of DPW Solar's products are manufactured in New Mexico and North Carolina.
Ironridge Ironridge on ARRA Compliance Based in Mendocino County near the San Francisco Bay Area, Ironridge's products are ARRA Compliant.
Unirac Unirac offers ARRA Compliance Unirac offers ARRA compliance certification based on the specific project and a request for compliant products must be submitted beforehand
Other
Brand Documentation Details
Attic Breeze Attic Breeze on ARRA Compliance Attic Breeze is made in Texas.
Bogart Engineering About Bogart Engineering Bogart Engineering is based in the Santa Cruz area.
MK Battery About MK Battery MK Battery's products are made in the US by the East Penn Manufacturing Co.
Wiley Electronics WEEB ARRA Compliance Wiley Electronics products are ARRA Compliant.