The Facility

First Solar officially inaugurated its fifth U.S. manufacturing facility on November 21, 2025, located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. The $1.1 billion investment spans approximately 2.4 million square feet, roughly eleven times the size of the New Orleans Superdome, making it one of the largest solar manufacturing sites in the Western Hemisphere.

The facility began production in July 2025, ahead of the originally planned schedule. First Solar attributed the accelerated timeline in part to demand from customers seeking technology compliant with anticipated Foreign Entities of Concern guidance, as well as the trade policy environment created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The plant produces Series 7 thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules, which carry no dependency on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.

At full ramp, the Iberia Parish site will add 3.5 GW of annual nameplate capacity. The plant’s domestic supply chain includes glass sourced from Illinois and Ohio, structural steel from Mississippi, and backrail components fabricated within Louisiana itself, reflecting First Solar’s commitment to vertically integrated American manufacturing.

“This is more than just a manufacturing facility. It’s a commitment to American energy dominance, affordable electricity, growth and prosperity. By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”

— Mark Widmar, Chief Executive Officer, First Solar

AI-Enabled Manufacturing

The Iberia Parish facility is built around an AI-driven production system that uses computer vision and deep learning algorithms to detect defects in solar panels during the manufacturing process. The technology is designed to identify quality issues in real time, reducing waste and improving module efficiency at scale.

“This is, beyond doubt, one of the most advanced solar manufacturing facilities in the world and it represents the very best of American manufacturing innovation. Along with its sister facilities in Ohio and Alabama, this factory demonstrates how AI can be harnessed to help American factory workers reach their full potential. Our fleet offers proof that AI can help realize productivity gains that allow us to out-innovate the competition and run our operations smarter, better, and faster.”

— Kuntal Kumar Verma, Chief Manufacturing Officer, First Solar

The AI platform is consistent across First Solar’s U.S. manufacturing fleet, connecting the Louisiana facility with the company’s Ohio and Alabama plants. First Solar’s Series 7 module format, produced at the new site, is among the largest thin-film modules in commercial production and is designed for utility-scale solar installations that require high energy density in a compact footprint.

Economic Impact

The Iberia Parish facility currently employs over 700 workers, with the headcount expected to reach 826 by year-end 2025. Manufacturing roles at the plant carry an average compensation package of $90,000 per year, more than three times the per capita income of Iberia Parish, positioning the facility as a transformative employer for the region.

An economic analysis by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the facility will grow Iberia Parish’s Gross Domestic Product by 4.4% in its first full year of operations at capacity. By 2027, the plant is expected to support more than 30,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs across the regional economy, generating over $3 billion in estimated labor income.

“First Solar’s investment is already delivering real results for Iberia Parish and the surrounding region with hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses. This is exactly how we advance President Trump’s agenda of American energy dominance. Louisiana has always powered this country, and with projects like this, we’re strengthening our workforce and securing an all-of-the-above energy future that drives growth and prosperity.”

— Jeff Landry, Governor of Louisiana

U.S. Manufacturing Footprint

With the Louisiana facility now operational, First Solar’s U.S. manufacturing footprint stands at approximately 14 GW of annual nameplate capacity by 2026 across five plants: three in Ohio, one in Alabama, and the new Louisiana site. The company has invested $4.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research and development since 2019.

A new production line is under construction in Gaffney, South Carolina, expected to commence operations in the second half of 2026. Unlike the fully vertically integrated Ohio, Alabama, and Louisiana plants, the Gaffney facility is a finishing facility designed to onshore the final production processes for Series 6 modules initiated by First Solar’s international manufacturing fleet. When fully ramped, it will add a further 3.7 GW of annual capacity, bringing First Solar’s total U.S. nameplate capacity to approximately 17.7 GW by 2027. First Solar expects to have more than 5,500 direct U.S. employees across its manufacturing and operations network by the end of 2026.

The expansion positions First Solar as the largest domestic solar manufacturer operating in the United States, and reflects the broader IRA-driven reshoring trend that has accelerated U.S.-based clean energy production investment since 2022. First Solar’s CdTe technology and its independence from Chinese silicon supply chains give it a structural advantage in qualifying for the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit and meeting domestic content requirements for federally supported projects.