Online Trade Magazine
Alternative Energy from Solar, Wind, Biomass,
Fuel Cells and more…
If you do not have an AltEnergyMag partner account, please register – it’s free!
Limit search to:
Advanced Search
A new economic impact study released today by First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) (“First Solar” or “the Company”), details its estimated contributions to the US economy. The Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, using IMPLAN economic modeling software, analyzed First Solar’s actual and forecasted US spending in 2025 and 2027. First Solar expects to operate approximately 18 gigawatts (GW) of annual nameplate solar module production capacity across six manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, and South Carolina, by 2027.
Key findings included:
“This study demonstrates how genuinely American solar manufacturing can deliver long‑term economic value at the intersection of national priorities such as energy dominance, affordable electricity, and economic prosperity,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “We’re proud to contribute to America’s reindustrialization through our manufacturing and supply chain investments, as our technology works alongside all other forms of energy generation to produce affordable, reliable electricity to power growth and prosperity.”
First Solar began tracking its economic impacts in 2023 and the table below compares key economic impact metrics across focus years:
2023 Estimated
2025 Estimated
2027 Projected
Total* jobs
16,245
29,605
39,320
Total* labor income
$1.6 B
$3.0 B
$4.0 B
Total* GDP contribution
$2.8 B
$5.8 B
$7.8 B
* Includes direct, indirect, and induced effects.
The study’s findings are unique to First Solar, which operates fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facilities that produce thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar panels in a single process that integrates the manufacturing of wafers and cells. The process allows the company to transform a sheet of glass into a fully functional solar panel in approximately four hours. Additionally, First Solar relies primarily on an American value chain for the raw materials, including glass and steel, that enable its US manufacturing operations.
Notably, the study’s release follows the results of a recent national poll conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates for First Solar, which found widespread support for solar energy among Republicans, Republican‑leaning independents, and voters who supported President Donald J. Trump (GOP+). Among the 800 GOP+ voters surveyed, support for utility‑scale solar rose to as much as 70 percent when the panels are American‑made, and 51 percent said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports an American company building a solar panel manufacturing plant in the US.
Having manufactured in the America since 2002, First Solar is the country’s leading PV solar technology and manufacturing company. It operates the largest solar technology manufacturing and research and development (R&D) footprint in the Western Hemisphere with five operational manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Louisiana, and Ohio, and a sixth plant under construction in South Carolina, which is expected to begin operation in the second half of 2026. The new South Carolina facility is expected to increase First Solar’s capacity to produce American-made solar technology by 3.7 GW, with the Company reaching approximately 18 GW of annual nameplate capacity in 2027. Altogether, the Company will have invested approximately $4.5 billion in American manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019.
About First Solar, Inc.
First Solar, Inc. is America's leading PV solar technology and manufacturing company. The only US-headquartered company among the world's largest solar manufacturers, First Solar is focused on competitively and reliably enabling power generation needs with its advanced, uniquely American thin film PV technology. Developed at research and development (R&D) labs in California and Ohio, the Company's technology represents the next generation of solar power generation, providing a competitive, high-performance, and responsibly produced alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV modules. For more information, please visit www.firstsolar.com.
This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.
You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.
Socials
Green Ammonia as a Pathway to Maritime Decarbonization
Why Semiconductor and Solar Industries Trust Quartz Crucibles for Ultra-Clean Melting
Solar & Energy Storage Summit
Florida Solar & Storage Summit
European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE)
The smarter E Europe
Battery Seminar 2026
Socials
Subscribe | Search | Promote Products | Feature Your Company | Publish News | List Event
Articles | News | Stories | Products | Companies | Events
© 2010 – 2026 AltEnergyMag – All Rights Reserved
Powered by BTH Management
