A major solar energy company plans to produce photovoltaic solar modules at a new plant in Northwest Alabama, state and company officials announced.
Arizona-based First Solar Inc. said it would invest more than $1 billion in the new factory, located in a Trinity, Alabama, industrial park. The facility will be able to produce an estimated 3.5 gigawatts of modules per year. Officials said the plant will be commissioned in 2025 and is expected to create more than 700 jobs.
The announcement is part of First Solar’s efforts to raise its overall U.S. production capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2025. The company is expected to open another new factory in Ohio — its third in the Buckeye State — in the first half of next year.
First Solar says it is the only major solar manufacturer in the world to be headquartered in the U.S. and avoid manufacturing in China. The company argues that its advanced, thin-film modules are the industry standard for design, durability, performance, and reliability. With the Alabama factory, the company has now invested over $4 billion in U.S. manufacturing to date.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar said the new facility, alongside the company’s Ohio facility, are "powered by American innovation and ingenuity.”
