First Solar inaugurates 3.5 GW Alabama solar factory

US-headquartered First Solar, Inc. has opened a new $1.1 billion thin-film solar manufacturing plant in Lawrence County, Alabama. This fully integrated facility will add 3.5 GW of solar production capacity in the US and is expected to create over 800 jobs in the energy sector. The Alabama factory uses advanced technology to turn glass into solar panels in about four hours. The Series 7 panels produced here use locally sourced steel from Alabama, with the material being made within 25 miles of the plant. With this facility, along with three others in Ohio, First Solar’s total US manufacturing capacity will reach nearly 11 GW, while its global capacity will exceed 21 GW. First Solar is also building another $1.1 billion facility in Louisiana, expected to open in 2025, which will increase its US capacity to more than 14 GW by 2026.