First Solar has reduced its 2026 module sales forecast to 16–17GW from 17–18.2GW, signalling a lower expected annual delivery volume for a major supplier to utility-scale solar projects.
In its 29 October results announcement, the company also cut its net-sales outlook to US$4.6–4.9bn from US$4.9–5.2bn. Planned capital expenditure is now US$600–800m, compared with the previous US$800m–1bn range.
Third-quarter sales were US$1.23bn, down 23% from a year earlier. First Solar attributed the decline primarily to lower module sales volumes. Its contracted sales backlog stood at 44GW on 30 September.
The company expects fourth-quarter module sales of 4.3–5.3GW, including 3.4–4.3GW from US manufacturing operations. These figures are forecasts, subject to assumptions about policy, trade measures, freight costs and permitting.
For developers and supply-chain businesses, the revised ranges distinguish expected near-term deliveries from the larger contracted backlog. The announcement does not by itself establish a factory closure or a workforce reduction.
Explore First Solar’s company profile and Solar jobs.
Image credit: Historical company-site file photograph: First Solar premises in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, photographed 19 June 2021. Illustrative exterior photograph, not current manufacturing operations or a 2026 event. Hanno Böck / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Resized. Source photograph · Licence.
Energy People news brief, compiled with AI assistance from the linked sources.
