US thin-film photovoltaic manufacturer First Solar has released its financial results for 2025 and issued guidance for the 2026 fiscal year.This announcement comes alongside significant technical advancements and legal action.In 2025,the company posted net sales of$5.2 billion and shipped 17.5GW of modules,while filing a lawsuit with the US International Trade Commission(ITC)against ten foreign photovoltaic manufacturers for alleged TOPCon patent infringement,and signing a perovskite patent licensing agreement with Oxford PV.

Net sales in 2025,at the upper end of the company’s previous outlook,were driven by a 24%increase in third-party module sales.Fourth-quarter net sales increased by$100 million to reach$1.7 billion,helping to push annual module shipments to a record 17.5GW.Although total debookings reached 8.3GW due to contract terminations,total bookings grew by 7.4GW,leaving an end-of-year backlog of 50.1GW,valued at$15.1 billion.

First Solar forecasts net sales of between$4.9 billion and$5.2 billion for fiscal 2026,with module shipments of between 17GW and 18.2GW,12.6GW and 13.1GW of which will be in the US market.Nominal capacity is expected to decrease to 19GW in 2026 as production shifts from Southeast Asia to the US,before increasing to 22.1GW in 2027.This includes the 3.7GW Series 6 facility in South Carolina,which is expected to enter commercial operation in the second half of 2026.

First Solar is developing its Copper Replacement(CuRe)technology and perovskite research at full speed.The company plans to convert its Ohio production lines containing lead to CuRe CdTe technology in the first quarter,with an expansion to the Series 6 and Series 7 facilities planned.This technology is expected to deliver an 8%gain in full-lifecycle power generation compared to crystalline silicon TOPCon modules.The non-exclusive patent licensing agreement with Oxford PV grants First Solar access to the latter’s issued and pending perovskite patents for manufacturing and distribution in the US utility,commercial,industrial,and residential markets.

During its earnings call,the company's management confirmed that it had submitted an ITC petition accusing the affiliates of ten foreign manufacturers of infringing one of its US TOPCon patents.The affected companies are Axitec Solar,Canadian Solar,JA Solar,JinkoSolar,Mundra,Philadelphia Solar,Hanwha Qcells,ReneSola,Trina Solar and VSUN.

First Solar's CEO,Mark Widmar,stated that a victory could result in the ITC issuing either a general exclusion order,which would bar imports of infringing foreign TOPCon products,or a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order,which would target the named entities.If an investigation is initiated,the company expects an ITC ruling within approximately 18 months.