A massive expansion is underway at First Solar as the company breaks ground on yet another U.S. manufacturing facility. The solar giant isn’t messing around this time, planning a whopping 3.7 GW annual capacity plant. Construction kicks off late 2025, with the first panels rolling out by the end of 2026. Full throttle? That’ll happen in early 2027. Location? Somewhere in America. Details pending, folks.
First Solar goes supersized with another 3.7 GW plant coming to American soil by 2026. Location TBA.
This will be First Solar’s fifth U.S. plant. Not bad for a company doubling down on tech that’s completely different from what everyone else is doing. Their specialty? Those fancy Cadmium Telluride panels that keep cranking out power decades after installation. We’re talking 90% efficiency after 25 years. Silicon panels? That’s so last decade.
The numbers don’t lie. First Solar pumped out 3.6 GW in Q3 2025 alone, with 2.5 GW made right here in the USA. Their Louisiana plant is already humming along, and this new facility just adds to the empire. The company’s got orders stacked to the ceiling—54.5 GW through 2030. Yeah, you read that right.
Their tech has serious street cred. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory studied these panels from 1995 to 2020. The verdict? They’re still killing it after 25 years, maintaining nearly 90% efficiency. Not too shabby when you’re baking in the sun for a quarter century. The manufacturing process relies on specialized machines and sophisticated techniques to produce their high-performance modules. First Solar has set an ambitious long-term goal of reaching 28% conversion efficiency by 2030, pushing the boundaries of what CdTe technology can achieve.
Money talks. With $2 billion in cash, First Solar’s putting its money where its mouth is. Their Series 6 panels aren’t just good for the environment—they’re good for business. Cost efficiency keeps improving, and the company’s playing nice with U.S. manufacturing initiatives. This expansion contributes to the solar industry growth that created over 263,000 jobs nationwide in 2022.
First Solar isn’t just riding the renewable wave—they’re making the surfboard. While others scramble to meet clean energy demands, these guys are methodically building American manufacturing muscle. In the solar horse race, they’re betting big on home-field advantage.
