First Solar

First Solar, Inc. is a publicly traded American manufacturer of solar panels, and provider of utility-scale PV power plants, supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses rigid thin-film modules for its solar panels, and produces CdTe panels using cadmium telluride (CdTe) as a semiconductor.
The company was founded in 1990 by inventor Harold McMaster as Solar Cells, Inc. and the Florida Corporation in 1993 with JD Polk. In 1999 it was purchased by True North Partners, LLC, who rebranded it as First Solar, Inc.

The company went public in 2006, trading on the NASDAQ. Its current chief executive is Mark Widmar, who succeeded the previous CEO James Hughes July 1, 2016.

The Arizona-based manufacturer opened a $1.1 billion facility in Alabama in September 2024. The company operates three facilities in Ohio and is currently constructing a $1.1 billion 3.5 GW plant in Louisiana expected to come online in 2026. Once the Louisiana facility is operational, the company expects to have more than 14 GW of domestic capacity.

Technology

First Solar manufactures cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based photovoltaic (PV) modules, which produce electricity with a thin CdTe film on glass.

In 2013, the company produced CdTe-panels with an efficiency of about 14 percent at a reported cost of 59 cents per watt. In August 2019, researchers from NREL and First Solar published a '' Nature Energy'' article demonstrating a way to achieve 20.8% solar cell efficiency.

History

In 1984, inventor and entrepreneur Harold McMaster founded Glasstech Solar. After trying amorphous silicon, he shifted to CdTe and founded Solar Cells, Inc. (SCI) in 1990. In February 1999, SCI was acquired by True North Partners, which then formed First Solar, LLC.

At the end of 2009, First Solar had surpassed an energy power production rate of 1 GW and was the largest producer of PV cells in the world.

The company is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona and has manufacturing facilities in Perrysburg, Ohio, Kulim, Malaysia, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Chennai, India.

In July 2010, First Solar formed a utility systems business group to address the large-scale PV systems solutions market. Utility systems are now the company's core business focus, with a strategy to focus on markets that do not require subsidies to support the solar generation business.

On April 17, 2012, First Solar announced it would restructure operations worldwide. This restructuring process included phasing out operations in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany and idling four production lines in Kulim, Malaysia. 30% of First Solar's workforce was laid off as a result of these actions, which were blamed on market volatility and reduced demand. Mark Widmar, the CFO of First Solar, said, "We need to resize our business to a level of demand that is highly reliable and predictable."

On July 1, 2016, Mark Widmar was appointed CEO of First Solar. Previously he had been chief financial officer. Company founder and former CEO Mike Ahearn remains chairman of the board.

In 2022, under the Inflation Reduction Act, First Solar became the biggest beneficiary of $1 trillion in environmental spending. First Solar executives and lobbyists met at least four times in late 2022 and 2023 with administration officials who oversaw the measure’s environmental provisions. Democratic donors had invested heavily in the company prior to the act being signed into law.

In May 2023, First Solar acquired Evolar, a European company that provided perovskite technology. The deal was valued at $38M USD.

In 2024, First Solar communicated an audit had discovered use of forced labor in a Malaysian factory that produces parts for the company.

In 2009, First Solar became the first solar panel manufacturing company to lower its manufacturing cost to $1 per watt. As of 2022, First Solar was considered the fourth-largest solar company on American stock exchanges by 12-month trailing revenue and in 2012 was ranked sixth in ''Fast Companys list of the world's 50 most innovative companies.In 2011, it ranked first on ''Forbes''s list of America's 25 fastest-growing technology companies. It is listed on the Photovoltaik Global 30 Index since the beginning of this stock index in 2009. The company was also listed as No. 1 in ''Solar Power World'' magazine's 2012 and 2013 rankings of solar contractors.Solar Power World
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Market history

Historically, First Solar sold its products to solar project developers, system integrators, and independent power producers. Early sales were primarily in Germany because of strong incentives for solar enacted in the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 2000 (cp. Solar power in Germany). Declines and uncertainty in feed-in-tariff subsidies for solar power in European markets, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, prompted major PV manufacturers, such as First Solar, to accelerate their expansion into other markets, including the U.S., India and China.

Beginning in December 2011, First Solar shifted away from existing markets that are heavily dependent on government subsidies and toward providing utility-scale PV systems in sustainable markets with immediate need. As a result, it began competing against conventional power generators, and has reduced its focus on the rooftop market.

On February 24, 2009, First Solar's cost per watt broke $1 reaching $0.98. 11.4 GW of solar modules were sold in 2023. Production costs of 18.8 Cent/Watt were forecast in February 2024, with average sales prices of 18.2 Cent/kWh for sales of around 16 GW in 2024.

First Solar sold $857 million in Inflation Reduction Act transferable tax credits generated from its U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in February 2025. The tax credits are from the sale of solar modules produced in 2024 at First Solar’s U.S. manufacturing facilities, including three factories in Ohio and a new Alabama facility.

Production history

In 2019, the company was expected to pass annual shipments of panels for 5,400 MWp. Production started in Perrysburg, Ohio, expanded in 2010. Between 2007 and 2012, production grew in additional plants in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany, in Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Malaysia and in France. Other locations considered for expansions before 2012 were Vietnam and Mesa, AZ. The 2023 Sustainability Report published in August 2023 highlights findings related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics, including modern slavery and forced labor findings. Report findings shared with media support the company's proactive efforts and due diligence to address human right violations within the solar power supply chain as they are discovered. First Solar's products have been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

First Solar sold $857 million in Inflation Reduction Act transferable tax credits generated from its U.S.-based manufacturing facilities. The tax credits are from the sale of solar modules produced in 2024 at First Solar’s U.S. manufacturing facilities, including three factories in Ohio and a new Alabama facility.

Market performance

While First Solar witnessed record sales of over $3.37 billion in 2012, its restructuring efforts impacted the bottom line, leading to a net loss of $96.3 million – or $1.11 per share – for the year.

Historically, the low cost of First Solar's modules has been the key to its market performance. The use of cadmium telluride instead of silicon allowed it to achieve a significantly lower module cost ($0.67 per watt), compared to crystalline-silicon PV, which averaged $1.85 per watt in 2010.

As the company shifts its focus away from module sales to utility-scale projects, it will need to become price competitive with non-solar power sources, a move which its executives say will require the company to reduce manufacturing costs and optimize efficiency.First Solar Investors Conference Call, December 15, 2011

Installations

First Solar had installed 1,505 MW of solar capacity as of 2012.Solar Power World
/ref> As of 2019, First Solar has over 17GW deployed globally. Below are some of First Solar's solar installations and development projects:

North America

*802 MW Copper Mountain Solar Facility near Boulder City, NV, constructed in 5 phases for Sempra Energy and Consolidated Edison.
*550 MW Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County, CA, acquired by MidAmerican Energy Holdings.
*550 MW Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in Riverside County, CA, acquired by NextEra Energy and GE Energy Financial Services.
*290 MW Agua Caliente Solar Project in Yuma County, AZ, constructed for NRG Energy and MidAmerican Renewables.
*230 MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch in Los Angeles, CA, completed 2014 and acquired by Exelon Corp.
*80 MW Sarnia Solar Farm in Ontario, Canada, completed, owned by Enbridge.
*50 MW Silver State North Solar Project, in Boulder County, NV, completed, acquired by Enbridge.

Europe, Middle East, and North Africa

* Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Saih Al-Dahal, UAE, includes a 13 MW_DC solar power plant built by First Solar for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority ( DEWA).
*Stadtwerke Trier (SWT) in Trier, Germany, is one of the world's largest thin-film solar plants. As of February 2009, it was estimated the facility would produce over 9 GWh per year, which would supply power to more than 2,400 homes each year. Additionally, it is estimated the facility will conserve 100,000 tons of over 20 years.
*The Ramat Hovav solar field is the largest PV power plant built so far in Israel's solar power sector. Constructed by Belectric over a previous evaporation pond, it has a nominal capacity of 37.5 MW. The facility became fully operational in December 2014.
* Waldpolenz Solar Park near Leipzig, Germany, was built and developed by Juwi Group, and has a capacity of 40 MW. The facility became fully operational in 2008.
*In December 2009, the Lieberose Photovoltaic Park, Germany's biggest conversion land project (126 hectares) on a former military training area, was opened with an output of 53 MW. The solar park uses 700,000 solar modules.
*For the Sports Stadium Bentegodi in Verona, Italy, First Solar supplied more than 13,000 thin film modules for a rooftop installation.

Asia and Australia

*10 MW Greenough River Solar Farm in Western Australia, completed for Verve Energy and GE Energy Financial Services.
*159 MW AGL Energy projects, to be constructed in Nyngan and Broken Hill, New South Wales. The 53 MW Broken Hill project was completed in 2015.

See also

* Thin film solar cell
* Cadmium telluride photovoltaics
* Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS)
* Photovoltaic power stations
*SolarCity
* Solar power in Germany
* 5N Plus Inc.

References

External links

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Manufacturing companies based in Phoenix, Arizona
Solar energy companies of the United States
Photovoltaics manufacturers
Thin-film cell manufacturers
Manufacturing companies established in 1999
Companies listed on the Nasdaq
1999 establishments in Arizona
2006 initial public offerings
Walton family
American companies established in 1999
American brands