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Founded in 1999, First Solar is unique among the world’s largest solar manufacturers for being the only US-headquartered company and for producing advanced thin film solar panels designed and developed in America. With a global footprint spanning the US, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam, First Solar expects to have a global manufacturing capacity of approximately 25 GW by 2026.

Uniquely American Solar Technology

Over the past two decades, First Solar has committed itself to deliver a high quality, responsibly produced American solar product to a global marketplace. The result of over $2 billion in cumulative R&D investment, First Solar’s thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar technology was developed and designed in Ohio and California and is uniquely American.

With a manufacturing process that has more in common with manufacturing flat screen televisions than it does with conventional solar panels, it takes about four hours to transform a sheet of glass into a fully functioning PV module, ready to convert the photons in sunlight into reliable solar electricity.

Thanks to its unique manufacturing processes, First Solar’s thin film technology has the lowest environmental footprint of any PV module available today.

Invested in America

In 2019, First Solar became America’s and the Western Hemisphere’s largest solar module manufacturer. The company has two operating factories in Ohio, with a third expected to be commissioned in the state in the first half of 2023. Additionally, the company is investing $1.2 billion in expanding its Ohio footprint to over 7 GW by 2025 while building a new 3.5 GW factory, its fourth in the country, in the US Southeast, which is also expected to come online in 2025. 

First Solar's most recent investment is expected to add an estimated $3.2 billion in value to the US economy, reflecting the impact of solar manufacturing on the country. Additionally, as the company continues to expand, it is expected to employ over 3,000 people in four states by 2025, which is believed to make it the largest employer in the American solar manufacturing sector. By 2025, First Solar is also expected to support an estimated 15,000 indirect and induced jobs as a result of its ongoing and future manufacturing operations.

Responsible Solar

First Solar’s solar technology embodies responsibility toward people and the planet. This is why the company has a long history of establishing benchmarks in recycling, responsible supply chain management, transparency, and the carbon and water footprint of its technology.

Fueling American Prosperity.

First Solar’s technology helps deliver the lifeblood of America: electricity.

From America’s largest, most innovative companies to shepherds grazing their flock, large-scale solar is helping fuel American prosperity. Large-scale solar power plants help communities around the nation make the most of their day.

They also support the energy needs of data centers that form the backbone of social media networks and the cloud, which in turn directly create high-tech jobs while enabling high-tech opportunities.

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First Solar by the Numbers

1Only US-headquartered company among the
largest solar manufacturers globally

>14 GWTotal US annual capacity
expected in 2026

>3,000Expected number of direct employees
in 4 states by 2025

$4 billionCumulative investment in
US manufacturing

>$2 billion Spent on research and development

15,000Indirect and induced US jobs supported by 2025*

$4.99 billionEstimated value added to the US economy*

*Data includes direct, indirect, and induced effects.
Source: “First Solar: Economic Impact Study,” Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.