Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WALBRIDGE, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) traveled to Walbridge to tour First Solar’s manufacturing facility of PV film solar panels and meet with First Solar leaders to discuss the company’s American-made products and their potential use in future infrastructure projects. Brown was instrumental in securing Buy America protections in the bipartisan infrastructure plan, ensuring federally funded projects use American-made goods, and is also working on requiring the use of American-made solar panels and components in future renewable energy projects.
“We want the renewable energy technologies that will drive the next generation of U.S. economic growth and manufacturing to be developed in America, and to put people to work at good-paying jobs here in Ohio,” said Brown. “With its historic expertise in glass manufacturing, northwest Ohio is leading the way in 21st-century energy manufacturing, with companies like First Solar making some of the best, most efficient solar panels in the world.”
Brown was joined at the event by First Solar Chief Manufacturing Operations Officer Mike Koralewski and Lake Township Plant Manager Jason Mesteller.
“We were pleased to host Senator Brown at our facility in Lake Township, which, together with our Perrysburg facility, forms part of the largest solar manufacturing footprint in the Western Hemisphere. As we continue to expand our capacity, we’re adding a third factory here and over 700 good-paying jobs in addition to the 1,600 people we already employ in the state. We’re also solidifying Ohio’s position as the home of American solar. We’re proud of our Ohioan roots and look forward to working with Senator Brown and others to showcase the state’s vital role in the fight against climate change and in leading American competitiveness in clean energy technologies,” said Mike Koralewski, chief manufacturing operations officer at First Solar.
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