A new solar manufacturing facility in Lawrence County using Alabama-sourced components is expected to create over 800 jobs statewide.

First Solar Inc. inaugurated the $1.1 billion vertically integrated thin-film solar manufacturing facility in Trinity on Thursday. The company said it will add 3.5 gigawatts of nameplate solar manufacturing capacity to the nation.

When production is ramped up, First Solar will have almost 11 gigawatts of domestic manufacturing capacity, CEO Mark Widmar said in a news release. The company also operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio and a soon-to-be-opened plant in Louisiana.

The Lawrence County facility “produces American solar panels, with American-made components sourced from a supply chain that spans the country,” Widmar said. “The hundreds of people that operate this facility represent the next generation of American energy workers and are joined by thousands more steelworkers, glassworkers, miners, truck drivers, railroad workers, and others that enable our mission to support our country’s energy security.”

The company’s manufacturing process transforms a sheet of glass into ready-to-ship thin film solar panels under one roof – in approximately four hours. The steel used in the process is sourced in Alabama and smelted, rolled and fabricated within 25 miles of the facility, First Solar said.

“This represents a great day for First Solar and for Lawrence County because this production facility is destined to become a major player in the U.S. renewable energy market,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “Moreover, the Alabama workers at this facility will help break the nation’s dependence on foreign-made solar panels and contribute to our energy independence.”

First Solar is the only U.S.-headquartered solar manufacturer among the world’s 10 largest that does not manufacture components in China.