First Solar adds distribution centre to Ohio operations

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
First Solar already has three manufacturing facilities and an under-construction R&D site in Ohio. Credit: First Solar.

US cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar module manufacturer First Solar has acquired a new facility in Ohio to support its distribution operations.

The 1.2 million square foot facility in Troy Township, Ohio will serve First Solar’s manufacturing footprint in the state, which comprises three module production facilities with around 6GW of nameplate capacity. First Solar also has an expanded research and development (R&D) centre under construction in Ohio, due to be completed this year.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“As we prepare to expand our Ohio capacity by almost a gigawatt this year, there’s a need for our logistics and distribution capabilities to scale to match manufacturing growth,” said Mike Koralewski, chief supply chain officer of First Solar.

“We intend to use this facility to ensure the efficient and timely shipping of modules to our customers, repurposing it into a dedicated distribution hub for the largest solar manufacturing footprint in the Western Hemisphere.”

As of the third quarter of 2023, First Solar’s backlog of module supply orders had surpassed 80GW. This built on news from April that the company had sold its entire US production capacity through 2027. PV Tech head of research, Finlay Colville, published a blog late last year which predicted that First Solar could be the only profitable large-scale solar module manufacturer in 2024, alongside predictions that this year could see a downturn in fortunes for the largest polysilicon-based solar manufacturers.  

Outside of Ohio, First Solar has started the ball rolling on two other US module manufacturing sites in Alabama and Louisiana. By the time of their completion in 2026, First Solar said that it intends to have reached 14GW of nameplate production capacity in the US.

Earlier this month the company inked a pair of tax credit transfer agreements (TCTAs) with finance tech company Fiserv. The deals were signed under the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Section 45X legislation on advanced manufacturing production credits.

Elsewhere, First Solar announced that it had begun production at a new 3.3GW manufacturing facility In India.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

September 15, 2025
Sunrun has priced a securitisation of leases and power purchase agreements, taking its non-recourse debt capital raised in Q3 above US$1.5 billion. 
September 15, 2025
Norwegian energy firm Statkraft has agreed to divest a portion of its renewable energy portfolio to Serentica Renewables.
September 15, 2025
UNSW spin-out company Lab360 Solar has been awarded funding from ARENA to bring its drone-based PV inspection technology to market.
September 15, 2025
Vikram Solar has secured a contract to supply 200MW of modules to AB Energia, a domestic solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solutions provider. 
September 12, 2025
Colombian energy supplier Celsia is seeking more than US$1.2 billion in investment to build wind and solar generation projects in Peru. 
September 12, 2025
ACME Venus Urja has secured INR3.8 billion (US$43 million) to develop and construct a solar-plus-storage project in Barmer, Rajasthan.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines