First Solar Inc., America’s biggest panel maker, plans to invest about $1.2 billion in new and expanded U.S. manufacturing after Congress passed a landmark climate bill.
The company expects to choose a site in the U.S. Southeast for a new 3.5-gigawatt facility and expand its factories in Ohio by about 900 megawatts, it said in a statement Tuesday. Three Southeast states are contenders for the new plant, with operations in 2025, according to Chief Executive Officer Mark Widmar.
While solar has surged into the U.S. mainstream, the country sources most of its panels from Asia — a reliance that’s threatened projects amid trade tensions and a crush of supply-chain obstacles. The new U.S. climate law provides support for both domestic manufacturing, which is expected to spur new cleantech factories, and installations.
