First Solar — Lawrence County, AL

Why it matters

The energy context.

Manufacturing the equipment of the energy transition — solar modules, transformers, switchgear, electrolyzers, advanced batteries — has become a domestic industrial priority in its own right. The Inflation Reduction Act's §45X advanced-manufacturing production credits make the unit economics workable at US labor costs. Transformer shortages are now a meaningful constraint on the broader power-grid expansion.

Project record

At a glance

Company: First Solar
Industry: Energy
Location: Lawrence County, Alabama
Investment: $1.10B
Expected jobs: 700
Status: Operational
Announced: Oct 20, 2022
Expected opening: Jan 1, 2025
Added to tracker: Apr 15, 2025

Sources

Official references

Primary source
https://investor.firstsolar.com/news/

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