Mark Widmar, First Solar’s chief executive officer, said the company was inaugurating the facility’s first phase and was ready to produce American solar technology built by South Carolina workers. He said the company expects to complete a second phase by mid-2027, doubling the facility’s capacity to 3.4 gigawatts annually.
Widmar compared that annual capacity to the power output of roughly three-and-a-half large nuclear reactors. He said solar can be deployed faster than most other forms of new power generation and can work alongside natural gas and nuclear power to meet the electricity needs of a growing economy.
He said the company’s technology was developed in U.S. laboratories and does not depend on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains. First Solar operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Alabama and Louisiana, in addition to its new Gaffney operation, and also has a distribution center in Duncan, South Carolina.
Graham said the facility would be Cherokee County’s largest job creator and said the project reinforced the importance of “Made in the U.S.A.” manufacturing. She said quality manufacturing employment provides workers with dignity, independence and hope.
Gaffney’s mayor said the investment would extend beyond the plant’s employees by supporting local grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, barbershops and other small businesses. The mayor described the project as an investment in opportunities for local workers, families and recent graduates.
Read the article.