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					</table><p>U.S.-based solar cell manufacturer <a href="https://suniva.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suniva</a> will invest over $350 million to set up a 4.5 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Laurens, South Carolina. The manufacturing facility is expected to open in the second quarter of 2027.</p>
<p>The new facility, along with the company’s existing facility in Atlanta, Georgia, will increase Suniva’s total annual domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity to over 5.5 GW.</p>
<p>Suniva claims that its monocrystalline solar cells achieve efficiencies exceeding 23%.</p>
<p>In 2024, Suniva engaged in reshoring cell manufacturing in the U.S. for the first time in five years, restarting production at its 1 GW factory in Georgia.</p>
<p>Last March, U.S.-based material sciences company Corning, Suniva, and solar module producer Heliene <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/corning-suniva-heliene-partner-for-made-in-america-solar-modules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnered</a> to establish the first fully U.S.-made solar module supply chain. The collaboration aims to provide the U.S. market with solar modules made using locally manufactured polysilicon, wafers, and solar cells.</p>
<p>Module manufacturing capacity in the U.S. <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-module-manufacturing-hits-50gw-capacity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expanded</a> by more than 50%, reaching 65.5 GW by the end of 2025, up from 42.5 GW at the end of 2024. Cell manufacturing capacity also continued to grow, while wafer capacity came online in the U.S. for the first time since 2016.</p>
<p>In February 2025, ES Foundry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/es-foundry-solar-cell-manufacturing-south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened</a> a high-volume solar cell manufacturing facility in Greenwood, South Carolina. . The company aims to manufacture crystalline bifacial Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact solar cells to meet the increasing demand for domestically manufactured solar modules.</p>
<p>South Korea-headquartered green energy and chemical company OCI Holdings also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/oci-holdings-to-set-up-1-gw-solar-cell-manufacturing-facility-in-us?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> plans to expand its U.S. solar value chain by building a solar cell manufacturing plant through its U.S. solar subsidiary, Mission Solar Energy. The company said it would invest $265 million in the facility and targeted commencing commercial production of 1 GW of solar cells in the first half of 2026. It plans to increase the facility’s production capacity to 2 GW in the second half of 2026.</p>


Suniva to Set Up 4.5 GW Solar Cell Manufacturing Plant in South Carolina


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					</table><p>U.S.-based solar module manufacturer <a href="https://www.firstsolar.com/en-IN/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Solar</a> has inaugurated a new module manufacturing facility in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. The vertically integrated facility is expected to add 3.5 GW of annual nameplate capacity once fully ramped.</p>
<p>The facility will increase First Solar America’s manufacturing portfolio to 14 GW in 2026. This portfolio is expected to increase to 17.7 GW in 2027, after a recently <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/first-solar-to-invest-330-million-in-3-7-gw-solar-module-facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> South Carolina facility reaches full capacity.</p>
<p>The South Carolina facility will be in Gaffney, with an investment of approximately $330 million. The company aims to utilize this facility to onshore the final production process for its Series 6 Plus modules.</p>
<p>First Solar said the Iberia Parish facility began production ahead of schedule in July 2025. It added that the accelerated timeline was driven by the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill this year. This catalyzed demand for U.S.-made solar components that are fully compliant with the Foreign Entities of Concern guidelines.</p>
<p>The company said the Iberia Parish facility is not dependent on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains. Its Series 7 modules are produced using materials from the U.S., including glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel produced in Mississippi, which is then fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.</p>
<p>First Solar stated that the Iberia Parish facility is AI-enabled, using computer vision and deep learning to detect solar panel defects during production. Additionally, the technicians and operators leverage AI-powered tools to make operating adjustments and guide decision-making.</p>
<p>The company has three fully vertically integrated manufacturing facilities in Ohio and one in Alabama. It also has research and development (R&amp;D) centers in Ohio and California. First Solar said it will have invested roughly $4.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing and R&amp;D infrastructure since 2019. It expects its global nameplate capacity to grow to about 25 GW by 2026.</p>
<p>First Solar’s revenue <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/first-solar-plans-new-3-7-gw-module-plant-revenue-up-in-q3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rose</a> 79.6% year-over-year to $1.59 billion in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 from $887.67 million.</p>
<p>It delivered 5.3 GW of modules in Q3 2025. The company’s expected contracted backlog stands at 54.5 GW through 2030. It manufactured 3.6 GW of modules during the quarter, with 2.5 GW coming from its U.S. facilities and 1.1 GW from its international facilities.</p>


First Solar Inaugurates 3.5 GW Solar Module Facility in Louisiana


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					</table><p>U.S.-based solar module manufacturer <a href="https://www.firstsolar.com/en-IN/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Solar</a> will invest approximately $330 million to set up a 3.7 GW module manufacturing facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore the final production process for its Series 6 Plus modules, initiated by the company’s international fleet.</p>
<p>The manufacturing facility is expected to commence commercial operations by the second half of 2026.</p>
<p>First Solar said the South Carolina facility will directly support the demand for domestically produced energy technology created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Budget Reconciliation Bill) this year.</p>
<p>This bill, signed on July 4, 2025, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/trump-orders-treasury-to-restrict-wind-and-solar-energy-tax-credits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> sweeping changes to the U.S. energy policy landscape.</p>
<p>The Gaffney facility is projected to increase First Solar’s capacity to produce U.S.-made solar technology, fully compliant with the Foreign Entities of Concern guidelines, by 3.7 GW, to achieve an annual nameplate capacity of 17.7 GW by 2027. It stated that it will have a global annual nameplate capacity of about 25 GW by 2026.</p>
<p>The company has a distribution center in South Carolina’s town of Duncan.</p>
<p>First Solar has three vertically integrated manufacturing facilities in Ohio, as well as one each in Alabama and Louisiana, along with research and development (R&amp;D) centers in Ohio and California.</p>
<p>The company stated that it would have invested approximately $4.5 billion in local manufacturing and R&amp;D infrastructure since 2019, following the $330 million investment in Gaffney.</p>
<p>First Solar’s revenue <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/first-solar-plans-new-3-7-gw-module-plant-revenue-up-in-q3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rose</a> 79.6% year-over-year to $1.59 billion in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 from $887.67 million.</p>
<p>It delivered 5.3 GW of modules in Q3 2025. The company’s expected contracted backlog stands at 54.5 GW through 2030. The company manufactured 3.6 GW of modules in Q3 2025, with 2.5 GW coming from its U.S. facilities and 1.1 GW from its international facilities. It sold 11.8 GW of modules during the quarter.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, First Solar <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/first-solar-alleges-topcon-module-patent-infringement-by-jinkosolar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a lawsuit against JinkoSolar, a Shanghai-headquartered company, alleging patent infringement of its tunnel oxide passivated contact modules.</p>


First Solar to Invest $330 Million in 3.7 GW Solar Module Facility

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