Solar panels maker First Solar is investing approximately $270 million in a research and development (R&D) innovation center located near its Perrysburg manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.
The new facility will feature a high-tech pilot manufacturing line to facilitate the production of full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules. At present, the Perrysburg facility handles commercial production and the product development efforts of the firm but it cannot handle the two activities simultaneously.
“We expect that this new facility will play a pivotal role in solidifying America’s leadership in the development and responsible production of high performance thin film photovoltaic semiconductors,” said Markus Gloeckler, chief technology officer, First Solar. “This facility will be designed with the future in mind and we expect that it will directly enable the next generation of advanced photovoltaics.”
The facility is expected to be complete in 2024. First Solar modules are featured in an array of utility-scale projects nationwide.
“With a record shipment backlog and consistent demand for our modules, we face the twin challenges of optimizing existing and planned production capacity to deliver on our commitments, while ensuring that our technology roadmap does not lose momentum,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “This investment allows us to create an R&D sandbox separate from our commercial manufacturing operations, ensuring that we can accelerate innovation without the cost of taking mission-critical tools offline.”
Additionally, First Solar is making a $1.2 billion investment to scale production of American-made solar modules. It also operates a recycling program for closed-loop semiconductor recovery for reuse in its new modules.
First Solar’s thin film PV modules feature a Cadmium Telluride semiconductor, which is thinner than a human hair.
