U.S.-based photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer First Solar has commissioned a new 1.3 million square feet research and development facility in Lake Township, Ohio.

The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation features a high-tech pilot manufacturing line capable of producing full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules. The facility is expected to accelerate innovation cycles by overcoming limitations and constraints faced at the company’s previous R&D setup.

“Thin films are the next technological battleground for the solar industry… We expect that this crucial investment in R&D infrastructure will help maintain our nation’s strategic advantage in thin film,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar.

He said, “While the United States leads the world in thin film PV, China is racing to close the innovation gap. We expect that this crucial investment in R&D infrastructure will help maintain our nation’s strategic advantage in thin film, accelerating the cycles of innovation needed to ensure that the next disruptive, transformative solar technology will be American-made.”

The center is part of a broader $500 million investment in R&D infrastructure by First Solar. The company also plans to commission a perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio campus later this year.

Coinciding with the center’s opening, First Solar also announced a new world record for cadmium telluride (CdTe) cell efficiency, achieving 23.1% at its California Technology Center.

First Solar expects to reach over 25 GW of global annual nameplate capacity by 2026, with 14 GW in the U.S. alone. New manufacturing facilities are planned in Alabama and Louisiana.

The company’s thin film modules produced at its facility in Tamil Nadu were recently approved for projects with a Domestic Content Requirement mandate.

The Tamil Nadu facility, which has an annual nameplate capacity of 3.3 GW, focuses on producing First Solar’s Series 7 solar modules, specifically developed for the Indian market at the company’s research and development centers in the U.S.

First Solar was among the companies that led solar module manufacturing capacity additions in the calendar year 2023, according to Mercom’s India Solar Market Leaderboard Report 2024.