First Solar, Inc. announced an agreement to supply Birch Creek Energy (?Birch Creek?) with 547 MW of advanced Series 6 Plus Bifacial thin film photovoltaics (PV) modules. The St. Louis-based renewable energy company plans to deploy the modules in projects across its development pipeline in the United States.

First Solar's investments in US manufacturing are also believed to make it the most significant enabler of American jobs among solar manufacturers. According to a recent study commissioned by First Solar, current operations supported an estimated 16,245 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in 2023, representing approximately $1.6 billion in annual labor income. As First Solar grows to an expected 14 GW in annual US nameplate capacity in 2026, the company is forecast to support an estimated 30,060 direct, indirect, and induced jobs across the country.

The study projects that every direct job First Solar supports in 2026 will support 7.3 jobs nationwide. In addition to expanding its Ohio footprint to over 7 GW of annual nameplate capacity this year, First Solar expects to invest over $2 billion in new manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, which are expected to come online in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Additionally, First Solar is on track to commission approximately $450 million in R&D innovation infrastructure in Perrysburg, Ohio, in the second half of this year.