News: Photovoltaics
29 October 2026
First Solar inaugurates first phase of South Carolina production facility
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has inaugurated the first phase of its new $330m facility in Gaffney, Cherokee County, South Carolina, which onshores final production processes for the firm’s Series 6 Plus modules initiated by its international fleet.
The second phase is forecast to be completed by mid-2027, doubling its annual nameplate capacity to 3.4GW and producing the firm’s CuRe technology while raising staffing from the current 500 to nearly 700.
Picture: South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, US Senator Darline Graham, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, South Carolina Senator Harvey Peeler, South Carolina Representatives Dennis Moss and Brian Lawson, and Gaffney Mayor Lyman D. Dawkins III joined First Solar’s CEO Mark Widmar, employees, and community leaders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for First Solar’s new facility in Gaffney, South Carolina.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, US Senator Darline Graham, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, South Carolina Senator Harvey Peeler, South Carolina Representatives Dennis Moss and Brian Lawson, and Gaffney Mayor Lyman D. Dawkins III joined First Solar’s CEO Mark Widmar, employees, and community leaders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Less than a year after we selected Gaffney, this facility is ready to produce American solar technology,” notes Widmar. “That pace reflects what is possible when sound policy, strong state and local partners, and a committed workforce align,” he adds. “Every module that leaves this facility is made without dependence on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains, and it strengthens our ability to deliver the certainty our customers need as American electricity demand grows.”
Picture: First Solar’s new facility in Gaffney, South Carolina.
The new facility expands First Solar’s footprint in South Carolina, which also includes a distribution center in Duncan, Spartanburg County, and a long-standing partnership with Inland Port Greer. First Solar says that it already operates the largest solar technology manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere, with manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Louisiana and Ohio, in addition to South Carolina, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. By the end of 2026, it expects to have invested over $5bn in US manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019, and by 2027 it forecasts approximately 17GW of US module manufacturing capacity, none of which has any dependence on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.
A study commissioned by First Solar and conducted by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette estimated that the firm supported nearly 30,000 American jobs and $3bn in labor income in 2025, while contributing about $5.8bn to US gross domestic product (GDP). The analysis projects that by 2027 the firm will support more than 39,000 jobs and $4bn in labor income and contribute about $7.8bn to US GDP.
First Solar’s US GDP contribution to grow from $5.8bn in 2025 to $7.8bn in 2027
First Solar selects South Carolina for new US production facility
