First Solar, Inc. inaugurated a new research and development (R&D) innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio, considered the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation is named after the late James “Jim” F. Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s Board of Directors and the architect of the company’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor platform.
The facility spans 1.3 million square feet and features a high-tech pilot manufacturing line for producing full-sized prototypes of thin film and tandem PV modules. Previously, First Solar used a manufacturing line at its Perrysburg facility for late-stage product development, which limited flexibility and created constraints when mission-critical tools went offline. The new center aims to eliminate these limitations and accelerate innovation cycles.
The Jim Nolan Center is part of a nearly half-billion dollar investment by First Solar in R&D infrastructure. “Thin films are the next technological battleground for the solar industry because they are key to commercializing tandem devices, which are anticipated to be the next disruption in photovoltaics,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “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.”