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INDIVIDUAL FACILITIES AND SELECTED SOURCES
Below is basic information about individual facilities in our database and selected sources we've drawn on to support the analysis.  To navigate to other sites, use the search page.

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First Solar Gaffney Facility

First Solar

Gaffney, SC, USA

-81.7092521, 35.0978719

The Big Green Machine Site ID: 819

Project Timeline

Project Timeline Unavailable (Insufficient Information)

Additional Information:

Sector: Solar

Activity: Manufacturing

Product: Solar Modules


Project Announcement Date: 10/31/2025

Target for Starting Production: 2026

Date Commercial Production Started:

Announced Post Inflation Reduction Act: Yes


Target Annual Production: 3.7 GW

Operating Status: Planned


Target Jobs: 600

Capital Investment: $330 million

Congressional District: SC5

Government Subsidies:

We currently have no government subsidies tracked for this site.

Selected Sources:

“First Solar unveils plans for 3.7-GW manufacturing facility in US”, Veselina Petrova, Renewables Now, 31 Oct 2025. 🔗


“First Solar to open its fifth U.S. factory, adding 3.7 GW of annual production”, Ryan Kennedy, pv magazine USA, 02 Nov 2025. 🔗


“First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory”, Michelle Lewis, Electrek, 14 Nov 2025. 🔗


“Solar company announces $330M investment, 600 new jobs at Upstate plant”, Chris Lavender, Post and Courier, 14 Nov 2025. 🔗


“First Solar, Inc. grows South Carolina footprint with new Cherokee County facility”, sc.gov, 13 Nov 2025. 🔗


Tracked Expansions, Acquisitions, or Related Sites:

We currently have no related projects tracked for this site.

This website, dashboard, and dataset are maintained by Jay Turner and student researchers in the Environmental Studies Department at Wellesley College. It is updated at least monthly. The data presented are compiled from publicly available sources. Summary statistics are incomplete and omit data from sites where publicly available information (regarding capital investments, employment levels, etc.) is unavailable. While we make every effort to ensure the information presented here is accurate, the information should be treated as estimates. We assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, or usefulness. The Big Green Machine® is a registered trademark. The Big Green Machine Data © 2024 by Jay Turner is licensed under CC BY 4.0.  Please submit feedback using this formData on this site last updated on November 20, 2025. 

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