First Solar’s new 3.5 GW Louisiana factory will lift its US nameplate capacity to 14 GW by 2026
Domestic-sourcing rules and OBBBA policies helped it speed up construction and strengthened demand for US-made Series 7 modules
The factory is fully compliant with anticipated FEOC guidance and relies on local supply chains
First Solar has commissioned its 5th US production facility, in Iberia Parish of Louisiana, with an annual production capacity of 3.5 GW. Once fully ramped up, it will expand the manufacturer’s annual US-based nameplate production capacity to 14 GW in 2026.
Covering an area of around 2.4 million sq. ft., the $1.1 billion Louisiana factory started production in July 2025, several months ahead of schedule, according to the manufacturer. It had initiated construction on site in September 2023 and was targeting an H1 2026 commissioning (see First Solar Breaks Ground On 5th Manufacturing Fab).
First Solar attributes the accelerated timeline of the Louisiana fab to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and trade policies of the Trump administration that have boosted demand for domestically produced solar technology.
Fully compliant with the anticipated Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOC) guidance, the factory uses glass produced in Illinois and Ohio. It also deploys steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana to produce its Series 7 solar modules.
“By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality,” said CEO Mark Widmar.
First Solar added that the Louisiana fab is AI-enabled, using computer vision and deep learning to automatically detect defects in solar panels during production and guide decision-making.
Along with its recently announced 3.7 GW South Carolina factory for Series 6, First Solar’s aggregate US manufacturing capacity will increase to 17.7 GW in 2027. This factory is part of its plans to onshore the final production processes from its Vietnam and Malaysia factories (see First Solar’s New 3.7 GW Solar PV Factory In South Carolina).