First Solar has opened its research and development (R&D) innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio, United States.
First Solar has named as the Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation for the center dedicating to the late James F Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s Board of Directors. James Nolan is the architect of First Solar’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor platform.
First Solar’s R&D innovation center covers 1.3 million square feet and includes a high-tech pilot manufacturing line allowing for the production of full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules.
Prior to the commissioning of the Jim Nolan Center, First Solar utilized a manufacturing line at its Perrysburg facility for its late-stage product development efforts. This arrangement limited the flexibility for development efforts and created constraints.
Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar, said: “While the United States leads the world in thin film PV, China is racing to close the innovation gap. We expect that this crucial investment in R&D infrastructure will help maintain our nation’s strategic advantage in thin film.”
The Jim Nolan Center is part of an approximately half-billion dollar investment by First Solar in R&D infrastructure.
First Solar expects to commission a perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus in the second half of 2024.
First Solar, which has invested almost $2 billion in R&D, operates laboratories in Santa Clara, California, and Perrysburg, Ohio, in the US, and Uppsala in Sweden.
First Solar’s California Technology Center (CTC) in Santa Clara recently achieved a 23.1 percent efficient CdTe cell, a new world record certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
First Solar exited 2023 with 16.6 gigawatts (GW) of annual global nameplate manufacturing capacity and is expected to achieve over 25 GW of capacity by 2026.
First Solar expects to commission manufacturing facilities in Alabama in the second half of 2024 and Louisiana in the second half of 2025, bringing its total US nameplate capacity to 14 GW by 2026.
First Solar said its ongoing and planned investments in the R&D infrastructure are projected to create approximately 300 new jobs by 2025, the majority of which will be located at the Jim Nolan Center.
As First Solar grows to an expected 14 GW in annual US nameplate capacity by 2026, it is forecast to support an estimated 30,060 direct, indirect, and induced jobs across the country, representing $2.8 billion in annual labor income. The study projects that every direct job First Solar supports in 2026 will support 7.3 jobs nationwide.