Photovoltaic Manufacturing Company to Open New Facility in Alabama

First Solar says that it will invest $1.1 billion to establish a photovoltaic solar module manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, Ala. The facility will be the company’s fourth photovoltaic manufacturing facility in the U.S.

The manufacturer of advanced thin-film photovoltaic modules states that the investment is an effort to help decarbonize the American economy and achieve self-sufficiency in reliable and competitive renewable energy technologies.

The facility is expected to be commissioned by 2025. It will create 700 new direct manufacturing jobs. First Solar says that the fully vertically integrated facility will join three facilities in Ohio.

“The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has firmly placed America on the path to a sustainable energy future,” says First Solar CEO Mark Widmar. “This facility, along with its sister factories in Ohio, will form part of the industrial foundation that helps ensure this transition is powered by American innovation and ingenuity.”

First Solar states that its new investments in Alabama and Ohio, now estimated at approximately $1.3 billion, will add at least 850 new manufacturing and over 100 new research and development jobs.