Q&A: First Solar Is Pioneering Responsible Solar Manufacturing in the United States

New State-of-the-Art Facility Being Built in Ohio

April 26, 2022

Rural communities will be a crucial part of a successful transition to a clean energy economy. The majority of U.S. utility-scale solar capacity, as well as the vast majority of onshore wind capacity, is located in rural America. This is, in part, why the largest U.S. solar manufacturer, First Solar, has been building up its presence in rural northwest Ohio for the last 20 years.

Michael Koralewski. Photo credit: First Solar

Walbridge, Ohio, is where First Solar—appropriately named, as it is the first American solar panel manufacturing company of its kind—is completing construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. At 1.8 million square feet (more than 30 football fields), the new facility will operate alongside the company’s two existing northwest Ohio manufacturing plants to achieve a projected domestic manufacturing capacity of six gigawatts. Production is expected to begin in 2023 and reach full capacity by 2025, at which point First Solar’s Ohio complex is anticipated to become the world’s largest fully vertically-integrated solar manufacturing complex outside of China.

The Ohio manufacturing complex will help the Biden-Harris Administration deliver on multiple aspects of its climate agenda. The domestic production of solar panels at scale will help the United States reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, lower energy costs, boost the manufacturing industry, and counter China’s domination over the solar panel supply chain.

EESI spoke with Michael Koralewski, First Solar’s chief manufacturing operations officer, about the technology, manufacturing processes, business model, and community investments that make First Solar a leader in the industry. Koralewski has worked for First Solar in several senior-level positions since he joined the company in 2006.

EESI: First Solar has spearheaded the use of cadmium telluride (CadTel) in photovoltaic (PV) modules, which allows you to operate independently of China’s crystalline silicon supply chains. Can you describe this technology and how it is different from crystalline silicon? What other benefits does this technology offer?

Koralewski: CadTel is a great material from a scientific point of view. It truly is a next-generation solar semiconductor with a maximum theoretical efficiency of about 33 percent and superior performance in real-world environments. Moreover, it is an inherently sustainable semiconductor—we are essentially taking two byproducts from mining waste streams, cadmium and tellurium, and combining them into a stable compound. A layer of this semiconductor material that is just three percent the thickness of a human hair is encapsulated between two sheets of glass and can produce electricity for 30 years or more.

CadTel delivers a range of environmental, operational, and technological benefits. For instance, unlike the crystalline silicon industry, which takes several days to accomplish all the steps in its manufacturing process, we take just 4.5 hours to produce a fully-functioning solar pane—from refining polysilicon to assembling a solar panel—at any one of our vertically-integrated factories. This allows us to have full control over our value chain and manufacturing processes, giving us the ability to offer a level of transparency and product traceability that is virtually unrivaled across the industry.

"A layer of this semiconductor material that is just three percent the thickness of a human hair is encapsulated between two sheets of glass and can produce electricity for 30 years or more."

-Michael Koralewski

EESI: CEO Mark Widmar has stated that First Solar was founded on the premise of a circular economy. How are these principles being put into practice at the new Ohio facility? In particular, could you talk about First Solar’s specialized recycling system?

Koralewski: First Solar has a unique and long-standing leadership position in PV recycling as the only solar manufacturer with global in-house PV recycling capabilities and more than 15 years of experience operating high-value PV recycling facilities on a global and industrial scale. We are contributing to a circular economy by converting mining byproducts into a leading eco-efficient PV technology that can be manufactured using less energy, water, and semiconductor material.

We design our products for high-value recycling to maximize material recovery at end-of-life and recover more than 90 percent of module materials for reuse, providing high-quality secondary resources for new PV panels and products. While most PV recycling processes focus only on recovering high-mass fraction materials such as glass and frames (i.e. bulk recycling), First Solar’s high-value PV recycling process goes further by recovering more than 90 percent of the semiconductor materials for reuse in new First Solar panels and 90 percent of the glass for use in new glass container products. In fact, one kilogram of our CadTel semiconductor can be recycled 41 times to produce electricity for 1,230 years.

We also extend the principles of circularity to the recycling process itself. We installed evaporators at all our recycling facilities in order to recycle wastewater and convert it into freshwater for reuse in the recycling process. Since 2018, our recycling plants have generated zero wastewater discharge. In addition to recycling water, the evaporators generate sodium sulfate crystals, which can be used in glass manufacturing.

We have a long track record of sustainability in action, and these guiding principles will apply to our new facility in Ohio, which will be the most advanced in our fleet. We are proud that our Perrysburg and Lake Township manufacturing facilities received the Ohio EPA’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence Platinum Level Award in recognition of our environmental stewardship efforts and contributions to the local community.

EESI: In addition to utilizing CadTel and prioritizing recycling, what else is unique about First Solar’s manufacturing process?

Koralewski: The nature of our manufacturing process, which has more in common with making flat-screen televisions than it does a crystalline silicon panel, is significantly less energy intensive, which allows us to have a carbon footprint that is 2.5 times lower than the average crystalline silicon solar panel made with Chinese cells. Our product also has a lower water footprint and a faster energy payback time. All of these attributes allow us to set new standards for the solar industry such as having the first PV products to receive a silver rating in the EPEAT registry for sustainable electronics. It also allows us to mitigate supply chain disruptions and human rights risks by not having to source polysilicon or other module components from China. In 2021, First Solar became the first and only of the world’s top 10 largest solar manufacturers to join the Responsible Business Alliance as part of our commitment to supporting the rights and well-being of workers and communities in the global supply chain.

Beyond its technical attributes, CadTel also supports efforts to rapidly scale up domestic manufacturing in the United States. Our third factory in Ohio and our first factory in India are both expected to come online approximately 18 months after they were announced. These two factories represent over 6.5 gigawatts of new manufacturing capacity, and the speed with which we are able to commission them is a reflection of how quickly domestic manufacturing can be scaled.

EESI: How could federal policy support First Solar and the rest of the U.S. solar panel manufacturing industry in the task of finding and training qualified workers?

Koralewski: Our current footprint in Ohio represents over $2 billion in investment and more than 1,600 jobs. When our new $680 million factory comes online next year, we are expected to add more than 700 new manufacturing jobs. We are proud of the fact that Ohio has become the true home of American solar—it is the only state that has virtually every aspect of the solar value chain from research and development to recycling.

I would also point to the fact that in 2021 we spent almost half a billion dollars in three midwestern states: Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. Applying standard economic methodologies, this translates into 6,800 indirect jobs in the region, underscoring the potential for the region to shake off its image of industrial decline and become a hub for American clean energy innovation and manufacturing.

"We are proud of the fact that Ohio has become the true home of American solar—it is the only state that has virtually every aspect of the solar value chain from research and development to recycling."

-Michael Koralewski

We are often told that we need more First Solar-like companies in the United States. For that to happen, we would need a long-term solar industrial strategy and a level playing field for domestic manufacturers, both of which do not currently exist. Imagine what we could do with the right policies in place.

EESI: Outside of providing jobs, the local residents in and around Perrysburg also benefit from First Solar’s presence in other ways. How has First Solar engaged with and invested in the local community?

Koralewski: First Solar is proud to be a responsible member of the community. Our investments in the region directly contribute to the local school district and civic infrastructure. Furthermore, we have a long history of working with local community colleges. For instance, we have teamed up with Owens Community College in Perrysburg, Ohio, to develop and administer a tailored certificate program that promotes First Solar associates to more technically-oriented roles. The Industrial Mechanic Certificate Program is designed around the associates’ shift schedules, is fully paid for by First Solar, and students are compensated for their time as if they were working a regular shift.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Author: Alison Davis