First Solar has announced plans to set up a new facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, to complete the production process for its Series 6 Plus modules. The company plans to invest approximately $330 million in the plant, which is scheduled to begin commercial operations in the second half of 2026. The facility is expected to add 3.7 GW of manufacturing capacity. Additionally, the construction of the facility will generate more than 600 jobs, with average annual salaries of $74,000.
The facility will operate alongside First Solar’s existing manufacturing and research network, which includes vertically integrated factories in Ohio and new facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, as well as research centres in Ohio and California. Furthermore, it will expand First Solar’s total planned US production capacity to 17.7 GW by 2027. The facility will manufacture modules using thin film solar cells produced at the company’s manufacturing sites outside US, enabling additional capacity that aligns with anticipated Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOC) requirements.
In February 2025, First Solar licensed its TOPCon cell manufacturing patents to Talon PV, enabling the US manufacturer to deploy the technology for its upcoming N-type TOPCon facility. The plant is expected to begin operations in early 2026 and add 4 GW of annual cell production capacity by the first quarter of 2027.