History
In 1984, inventor and entrepreneur Harold McMaster founded Glasstech Solar. After conducting research on amorphous silicon, he shifted to CdTe and founded Solar Cells, Inc. (SCI) in 1990.[11] In February 1999, SCI was acquired by True North Partners, which then formed First Solar, LLC.[12][13]
The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and has manufacturing facilities in Perrysburg, Ohio; Trinity, Alabama; New Iberia, Louisiana; Kulim, Malaysia; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Chennai, India.[14] It expects to open a finishing facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, in the second half of 2026.
At the end of 2009, First Solar had surpassed an energy power production rate of 1 GW[15] and was the largest producer of PV cells in the world.[16] That same year, First Solar became the first solar panel manufacturing company to lower its manufacturing cost to $1 per watt.[17]
In July 2010, First Solar formed a utility systems business group to address the large-scale PV systems solutions market. Providing solar modules for utility-scale PV systems is 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.[18]
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.[19] Approximately 30% of First Solar's workforce was laid off as a result of these actions, which were blamed on market volatility and reduced demand.[20] Mark Widmar, then the CFO of First Solar, said, "We need to resize our business to a level of demand that is highly reliable and predictable."[21]
On July 1, 2016, Mark Widmar was appointed CEO of First Solar. Previously he had been chief financial officer. Former CEO Mike Ahearn remains chairman of the board.[3]
In 2022, under the Inflation Reduction Act, First Solar became perhaps the biggest beneficiary of an estimated $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.[22]
In May 2023, First Solar acquired Evolar, a European company that provided perovskite technology. The deal was valued at $38M USD.[23]
First Solar has a policy of zero tolerance for forced labor in its operations and supply chain. It works to ensure that it does not source components from Xinjiang, China, (a region known for forced labor) or from entities on the UFLPA Entity List.[24]
The company regularly conducts independent third-party, on-site social audits across its global manufacturing footprint. In 2022, an audit of the company's Malaysian factory found that four ancillary providers of janitorial, warehouse, and security services fell short of its standards and had subjected foreign migrant workers to unethical recruitment. First Solar disclosed the findings to raise awareness about modern slavery risks and worked with the ancillary service providers to ensure the recruitment fees were reimbursed to the affected workers.[25]
In the 2023 Renewable Energy & Human Rights Benchmark report by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), First Solar was the only PV manufacturer with no ties to state-sponsored forced labor.[26]
In 2024, First Solar commissioned a new research and development (R&D) innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio, which is believed to be the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The 1.3 million square-foot Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation is dedicated to the late James “Jim” F. Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s Board of Directors and the architect of the company’s CdTe semiconductor platform.
