First Solar has opened its new AI-enabled solar manufacturing facility in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, marking a significant expansion of its US manufacturing footprint.
The fully vertically integrated $1.1bn facility spans roughly 2.4 million square feet and uses advanced AI technologies in its manufacturing processes to automatically detect defects in solar panels during production.
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The company said that production at the Louisiana facility began in July 2025, several months ahead of schedule.
First Solar attributed the accelerated timeline to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and trade policies enacted during the Trump administration, which increased demand for American-made solar technology compliant with anticipated Foreign Entities of Concern guidance.
The facility manufactures First Solar’s Series 7 modules using domestically sourced materials, including glass from Illinois and Ohio and steel produced in Mississippi and fabricated into back rails in Louisiana.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said: “First Solar’s investment is already delivering real results for Iberia Parish and the surrounding region with hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.
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By GlobalData“This is exactly how we advance President Trump’s agenda of American energy dominance. Louisiana has always powered this country, and with projects like this, we’re strengthening our workforce and securing an all-of-the-above energy future that drives growth and prosperity.”
The Iberia Parish facility employs more than 700 people and is expected to employ 826 employees by the end of the year.
Once fully operational, the facility will add 3.5GW of annual nameplate capacity, expanding First Solar’s total American manufacturing footprint to 14GW in 2026 and 17.7GW in 2027.
The Louisiana facility is part of the reportedly largest solar technology manufacturing and research and development (R&D) footprint in the Western Hemisphere.
This foorprint includes three fully vertically integrated manufacturing plants in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centres in Ohio and California.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar said: “This is more than just a manufacturing facility. It’s a commitment to American energy dominance, affordable electricity, growth and prosperity.
“By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialisation isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
Recently, First Solar announced plans to invest in a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore final production processes for Series 6 modules initiated by its international fleet.
By the end of 2026, the company expects to employ over 5,500 people in the US and to have invested approximately $4.5bn in domestic manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019.
