Business Description

We are America’s leading PV solar technology and manufacturing company. The only U.S.-headquartered company among the world’s largest solar manufacturers, First Solar is focused on competitively and reliably enabling power generation needs with our advanced, uniquely American thin film PV technology. Developed at R&D labs in California and Ohio, our technology provides a competitive, high-performance, and responsibly produced alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules. Our PV solar modules are produced using a fully integrated, continuous process that does not rely on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains. We are the world’s largest thin film PV solar module manufacturer and the largest PV solar module manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. In addressing the overall global demand for electricity, PV solar modules provide energy at a lower levelized cost of electricity (“LCOE”), meaning the net present value of a system’s total life cycle costs divided by the quantity of energy that is expected to be produced over the system’s life, when compared to traditional forms of energy generation. With over $2 billion in cumulative R&D investments in the last 20 years, we have a demonstrated history of innovation and continuous improvement. We believe our strategies and points of differentiation provide the foundation for our competitive position and enable us to remain one of the preferred providers of PV solar modules. Business Strategy Advanced Module Technology Our current module semiconductor structure is a single-junction polycrystalline thin film that uses CdTe as the absorption layer. CdTe has absorption properties that are well matched to the solar spectrum and can deliver competitive performance using approximately 2% to 3% of the amount of semiconductor material used to manufacture conventional crystalline silicon modules. In terms of performance, in many climates our solar modules provide certain energy production advantages relative to competing crystalline silicon modules. For example, our CdTe solar technology provides: • a superior temperature coefficient, which results in stronger system performance in typical high insolation climates as the majority of a system’s generation, on average, occurs when module temperatures are well above 25°C (standard test conditions); • a superior spectral response in humid environments where atmospheric moisture alters the solar spectrum relative to standard test conditions; • a better partial shading response than competing crystalline silicon technologies, which may experience significantly lower energy generation than CdTe solar technologies when partial shading occurs; and • an immunity to cell cracking and its resulting power output loss, a common failure often observed in crystalline silicon modules caused by poor manufacturing, handling, weather, or other conditions. In addition to these technological advantages, we also typically warrant that our solar modules will produce at least 98% of their labeled power output rating during the first year, with the warranty coverage reducing by a degradation factor every year thereafter throughout the limited power output warranty period of up to 30 years. As a result of these and other factors, our solar modules can produce more annual energy in real-world operating conditions than conventional crystalline silicon modules with the same nameplate power. 3 Table of Contents Manufacturing Process and Distributed Manufacturing Presence Our modules combine our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being the world’s most experienced producer of thin film PV solar modules. With more than 93 GW of modules sold worldwide, we have a demonstrated history of manufacturing success and innovation. Our global manufacturing footprint includes facilities in the United States, Malaysia, Vietnam, and India. During 2023, we commenced production of our Series 7 TM (“Series 7”) modules at our third manufacturing facility in Ohio and our first manufacturing facility in India, which combine our thin film CdTe technology with a larger form factor and an innovative steel back rail mounting structure that reduces module installation time. During 2024 and 2025, we commenced production of Series 7 modules at our manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, respectively.…