First Solar GmbH in Frankfurt

Responsible Solar
First Solar proudly established the guiding principles of Responsible Solar – how it treats its employees, manages its environmental impact, and operates its business. Together, these pillars produce a responsible solar technology that reduces risk and maximizes returns with respect for people and the planet.
Innovative Technology
Derived from decades of leading-edge research and development, capital investment, trial and error, and defining moments, First Solar’s Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin film technology is a product of dedication and is advantaged against conventional silicon panels in many aspects. Designed and developed at its research and development (R&D) centers in the US, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance.
Invested in America
First Solar’s roots run deep in American soil. Born in the Midwest, headquartered in the Southwest, and shipped worldwide, First Solar is an American success story. Driven by a passion for innovation and powered by American ingenuity, First Solar has consistently invested in American manufacturing and American jobs. Today, it is the only US-headquartered company among the world’s largest module producers.
Leading the World’s Sustainable Energy Future
Founded in 1999, First Solar is America’s leading photovoltaic (“PV”) solar technology and manufacturing company. The only U.S.-headquartered company among the world’s largest solar manufacturers, First Solar is focused on competitively and reliably enabling power generation needs with its advanced, uniquely American thin film PV technology. Developed at research and development (“R&D”) labs in California and Ohio, the Company's technology represents the next generation of solar power generation, providing a competitive, high-performance, and responsibly produced alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV modules.
Manufacturing Leadership
First Solar has the Western Hemisphere's largest solar manufacturing footprint, with five operational factories in Ohio, Alabama, and Louisiana. The company expects to have a global annual manufacturing capacity of approximately 25 GW by 2026, with a manufacturing footprint that spans the US, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. First Solar thin film PV modules are produced using a fully integrated, continuous process under one roof that does not rely on Chinese crystalline silicon (c-Si) supply chains. Its proprietary, vertically integrated process transforms sheets of glass into fully functioning solar panels in approximately four hours with a combination of highly skilled workers, Industry 4.0 architecture, machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things connectivity.
Technology Advantage
Designed and developed at its research and development centers in California and Ohio, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and sustainability. Each module features a layer of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) semiconductor, derived from byproducts of copper and zinc mining, which boasts a number of qualities over conventional c-Si, including lower cost, superior scalability, and a higher theoretical efficiency limit.
First Solar’s thin film PV technology produces energy-efficient modules with a superior degradation rate, temperature coefficient, spectral and shading response, and the smallest environmental footprint in the industry. First Solar's thin film modules require only 1-2% of the semiconductor material needed by traditional c-Si modules to produce a comparable amount of power. The company’s vertically integrated manufacturing technology results in fewer process steps and faster production times with superior traceability and transparency.