First Solar has started construction of its state-of-the-art solar thin-film module factory in Mesa, Arizona and has appointed Todd Spangler as the Mesa factory’s Site Director and General Manager.
Ceremonial marker commemorating construction progress for First Solar's Mesa factory
First Solar is spending just above $300 million for the four-line plant, which will manufacture nearly 250 MW of thin-film solar modules annually. The Mesa factory is anticipated to be operational in the third quarter of the next year and will hire nearly 600 full-time employees.
The Mesa factory’s output is anticipated to be utilized in the building of First Solar’s North American project pipeline with a total capacity of 2,600 MW, which comprises the 290 MW Agua Caliente project situated in Yuma County, Arizona. When it achieves full production in 2014, Agua Caliente facility will produce solar power to meet the demands of nearly 100,000 average houses annually, while eliminating about 220,000 t of CO2.
The Mesa factory’s output is also anticipated to be utilized in First Solar’s projects in California, including the 550 MW Desert Sunlight project, the 230 MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One and the 550 MW Topaz project.
The Chief Executive Officer at First Solar, Rob Gillette stated that the company’s quickest growing market is the US and the additional manufacturing capacity from the Mesa facility will assist the company to fulfill the increasing demand for locally generated clean solar power.