A few days ago, First Solar, the largest solar panel manufacturer in the United States, announced that it will invest $1.2 billion to build a new factory and expand its existing capacity.
As part of its push to scale up solar module production in the U.S., First Solar plans to build its fourth fully vertically integrated domestic facility in the southeastern U.S. with an annual capacity of 3.5 GW, which is expected to begin operations in 2025.
At the same time, First Sola plans to invest in the expansion of its two PV plants in Perrysburg and Lake Township, Ohio, increasing the annual capacity of its Series 6 modules by 0.6 GW to 3.6 GW, and will produce 3.5 GW of Series 7 modules per year. The production capacity has been increased to more than 7 GW and is expected to reach production in 2025.
In addition to its Ohio manufacturing facility, First Solar has factories in Vietnam and Malaysia, and is building its first new manufacturing facility in India, scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2023. The company expects global annual manufacturing capacity to exceed 20 gigawatts by 2025, when completed in the U.S. and India.
The company said it also continued to innovate its processes and optimize the amount of semiconductor material used. Additionally, First Solar has implemented an advanced recycling program that enables materials to be reused in new modules.
