First Solar

Began in 1999, First Solar is a large US solar technology company that specializes in producing environmentally efficient thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules. It is distinguished from other companies by being the only US-based organization among the world’s top ten largest solar manufacturers and not relying on Chinese supply chains.
The Hindu Business Line

First Solar’s thin-film modules utilize Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology, offering advantages over traditional crystalline silicon panels in the form of lower cost, greater scalability, and higher theoretical efficiency limit. The company’s manufacturing po is vertically integrated, turning sheets of glass into finished solar panels in approximately four hours. ​The Hindu Business Line

First Solar commissioned in January 2024 a 3.3 GW facility in Tamil Nadu, India, the country’s first vertically integrated solar manufacturing facility. This is towards First Solar’s drive to achieve over 20 GW of annual global manufacturing capacity by 2025 with factories in the US, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Proudly committed to sustainability, First Solar modules carry a carbon footprint of as much as 2.5 times and a water footprint of as much as 3 times less than conventional crystalline silicon panels. First Solar aims to power 100% of its worldwide manufacturing on renewable energy by 2028 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.