First Solar has opened a $1.1 billion fully integrated, thin-film solar manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Alabama.
The facility adds 3.5GW of fully integrated nameplate solar manufacturing capacity to the U.S. It is expected to create more than 800 new energy technology manufacturing jobs, as well.
Locally sourced steel will be used to create Series 7 modules. First Solar’s proprietary manufacturing process converts sheets of glass into thin-film solar panels and its new value chain operates under one roof, housing the entire production process from semiconductor to wafer to cell to module.
The company is currently building a $1 billion, 3.5GW facility in Louisiana, which is set to be commissioned in late 2025. That facility, along with three additional factories in Ohio, brings the company’s domestic nameplate manufacturing capacity to almost 11GW and its global capacity to more than 21GW.
“This is the first of two fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facilities that solidify the role of the Gulf Coast states in enabling America’s all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said First Solar CEO Mark Widmar, according to Power Technology.
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