American Solar: TVA secures First Solar technology for Alabama project

The Tennessee Valley Authority TVA announced that it has secured 279 megawatts, MWDC, of advanced thin film solar panels from First Solar for its planned Lawrence County Solar Project in Lawrence County, Alabama, which is expected to commence commercial operation in 2027. The project reflects TVA’s growing emphasis on solar in the region, which, by 2025, is also expected to become the home of one of the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facilities in the United States, when Arizona-headquartered First Solar commissions its fourth American factory. First Solar is investing approximately $1.3 billion in expanding its US manufacturing footprint from over 6.5 gigawatts of annual nameplate capacity currently, to approximately 10.9 GWDC by 2026. In addition to the $1.1 billion being invested in the new 3.5 GWDC Lawrence County facility, the company has also embarked on a $185 million expansion of its existing manufacturing footprint in Ohio. First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, also announced an investment of up to $370 million for a dedicated research and development innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, which is expected to be completed in 2024.