First Solar’s Response to the Wall Street Journal
Mark Widmar
CEO, First Solar, Tempe, Arizona
Your editorial, “How First Solar, a Tariff Winner, Became a Tariff Loser,” glosses over reality.
The impact of reciprocal tariffs on a portion of our production is a near-term challenge. Long-term, given our enduring commitment to American manufacturing and supply chains, we expect the policies driven by President Trump to be favorable by leveling the playing field for U.S. manufacturers against unfair and illegal trade practices.
With over $4 billion invested in U.S. manufacturing since the start of President Trump’s first term, we have four operational factories in Alabama and Ohio and a fifth on track to begin operations in Louisiana this year. We expect most of our panels to be American made by 2026.
With over 3,000 people at work at our Ohio and Alabama factories and tens of thousands more in a value chain that spans Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming, we are already delivering on President Trump’s economic agenda.
Crucially, the duties imposed on Chinese solar panels were not lobbied for but imposed because of U.S. Department of Commerce investigations, initiated under its legal authority, which confirmed anti-competitive, illegal, and market-distorting behavior. Like the Journal, First Solar supports the rule of law. This is why we supported—not led—industry-driven efforts to enforce U.S. laws and ensure that our trading partners play by the rules.
We stand firmly behind enforcing trade laws as a tool to level the playing field for domestic manufacturing to safeguard American jobs. Seeking enforcement of fair trade is a far cry from ‘lobbying for protection.’ A level playing field encourages fair competition.
