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First Solar, the manufacturer of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules based in Tempe, AZ, USA, has completed the acquisition of a 1.2 million square-foot facility in Troy Township, Ohio. Formerly known as Peloton Output Park, the facility is slated to be repurposed into a new distribution center to support First Solar's expanding manufacturing presence in Ohio. This includes three manufacturing facilities with a combined annual nameplate capacity of about 6GW by the end of 2023.

Chief Supply Chain Officer Mike Koralewski emphasizes the importance of scaling logistics and distribution capabilities to align with manufacturing growth as the company plans to increase its Ohio capacity by nearly a gigawatt in the current year. Koralewski states, "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. We expect that this approach will allow us to streamline logistics operations, reduce operating costs, and contribute to our cost-reduction roadmap." Additionally, he mentions the potential for the facility's flexible space to serve as a light-scale satellite manufacturing location in the long term, supporting the company's factories and R&D center in Ohio.

Alongside the expansion of its Ohio footprint to over 7GW of annual nameplate capacity in the current year, First Solar plans to invest over $2 billion in new manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Louisiana. The company anticipates achieving 14GW of fully vertically integrated US solar manufacturing capacity by 2026. Furthermore, First Solar is committed to investing up to $370 million in a dedicated R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, with an expected completion date in 2024.