First Solar has broke ground on a 3300MW manufacturing facility in Ohio, its third in the US state.
The facility is scheduled to commence operations in the first half of 2023 and represents a $680m (€580m) investment.
When fully operational, the facility is expected to scale the company’s Northwest Ohio footprint to a total annual capacity of 6GW, which is believed to make it the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing complex outside China.
The facility is forecast to create over 700 permanent jobs in addition to the over 1,600 people that First Solar currently employs in Ohio.
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Jon Husted said: “Ohio is a proud home to another First Solar expansion as we offer a great business environment, workforce and the resources to build a domestic solar energy competitor in a market dominated by Chinese imports.
“This new facility represents another win as we expand high-tech manufacturing in Northwest Ohio, creating great, higher-paying jobs that will be here for years to come.”
Unique among the world’s ten largest solar manufacturers for being the only US-headquartered company, for not using a crystalline silicon (c-Si) semiconductor, and for not manufacturing in China.
First Solar produces its thin film PV modules using a fully integrated, continuous process under one roof and does not rely on Chinese c-Si supply chains.
The company’s eco-efficient module technology, which uses its proprietary Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor, has the lowest carbon and water footprints of any PV module available today, First Solar said.
The facility will allow First Solar to produce an anticipated average of one module roughly every 2.75 seconds across its three-factory Ohio footprint once it achieves its full production capacity.
The facility will combine highly skilled workers with Industry 4.0 architecture, machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things connectivity to produce a higher degree of automation, precision, and continuous improvement.
First Solar chief executive Mark Widmar said: “Today, we’re leading the efforts to revitalize American solar manufacturing and secure critical clean energy supply chains because reliable access to competitive, efficient solar panels is essential to our country’s future.
“Solar panels are the next crude oil, and we cannot be beholden to adversarial nations for our supply.
“We’re scaling US cleantech innovation by investing in R&D, ensuring that a uniquely American solar technology that was developed right here in Ohio remains competitively advantaged.
“And we’re taking it a step further by producing the next generation of solar panels designed and made in the USA for the American solar industry.”