[3] The company was founded in 1990 by inventor Harold McMaster as Solar Cells, Inc. and the Florida Corporation in 1993 with JD Polk.

[15][16] At the end of 2009, First Solar had surpassed an energy power production rate of 1 GW[17] and was the largest producer of PV cells in the world.

[18] The company is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona and has manufacturing facilities in Perrysburg, Ohio, Kulim, Malaysia, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Chennai, India.

This restructuring process included phasing out operations in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany and idling four production lines in Kulim, Malaysia.

[22] Mark Widmar, the CFO of First Solar, said, "We need to resize our business to a level of demand that is highly reliable and predictable.

First Solar executives and lobbyists met at least four times in late 2022 and 2023 with administration officials who oversaw the measure’s environmental provisions.

[25] In 2024, First Solar communicated an audit had discovered use of forced labor in a Malaysian factory that produces parts for the company.

Early sales were primarily in Germany because of strong incentives for solar enacted in the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 2000 (cp.

[32] Between 2007 and 2012, production grew in additional plants in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany, in Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Malaysia and in France.

Report findings shared with media support the company's proactive efforts and due diligence to address human right violations within the solar power supply chain as they are discovered.

[35] First Solar's products have been released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

While First Solar witnessed record sales of over $3.37 billion in 2012, its restructuring efforts impacted the bottom line, leading to a net loss of $96.3 million – or $1.11 per share – for the year.