First Solar has 123 certified solar panels on California's equipment list.
First Solar
Status: Financially strongest US manufacturer, but does NOT sell residential modules.
Company
USA (Tempe, AZ)
U.S. manufacturing
Assembles modules in the U.S. (Perrysburg & Lake Township, OH; Lawrence County, AL; Iberia Parish, LA (2025); South Carolina finishing line (2026)). Cells: Fully integrated thin-film (CdTe), no polysilicon
Main products
Series 6 / Series 7 (utility only): ~420-550 W (large format), ~19-20%, CdTe thin film
Warranty
product years: 12; performance years: 30; end of warranty pct: ~88% at yr 30; annual degradation pct: ~0.3%/yr; labor coverage: No
PVEL scorecard
Not a 2026 Top Performer. Not listed in 2026 manufacturer table
Price tier
N/A (utility only)
If a residential salesperson says 'First Solar panels', check. They are almost certainly not available for homes.
Specifications as stated by the manufacturer; confirm on the current datasheet and warranty document.
First Solar solar panels on the CEC certified list
123 certified models, 400–550 W, up to 19.6% efficient. Highest-efficiency models shown. See all models.
Model
Watts
Efficiency
Technology
Temp. coefficient
FS-7550A-FT1
550
19.6%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7550A-TR1
550
19.6%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7545A-FT1
545
19.5%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7545A-TR1
545
19.5%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7540A-FT1
540
19.3%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7540A-TR1
540
19.3%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-6485A-P
485
19.2%
CdTe
-0.2723%/°C
FS-6485A-P-I
485
19.2%
CdTe
-0.2723%/°C
FS-7535A-FT1
535
19.1%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-7535A-TR1
535
19.1%
CdTe
-0.2947%/°C
FS-6480A-P
480
19%
CdTe
-0.2723%/°C
FS-6480A-P-B
480
19%
CdTe
-0.2961%/°C
Choosing equipmentA well-installed mid-tier system beats a premium brand installed badly. Ask quotes to name exact models, compare warranties in writing, and check that the company backing a 25-year warranty is financially healthy. Compare your quotes.