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Solar technology company First Solar, Inc. and electrical balance of systems solutions maker Shoals Technologies Group, Inc. reaffirmed their partnership to bolster the reshoring of supply chains for the U.S. solar industry, the manufacturers announced this week (RTTNews). 
  
What’s going on: Shoals produces custom junction boxes—critical components of electrical wiring systems in buildings—for First Solar’s manufacturing plant in Alabama.  

• “This $1.1 billion investment has created over 800 direct jobs, strengthening First Solar’s position as the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere.”  
• In addition to the Alabama plant, First Solar has three operating facilities in Ohio. In 2023, it announced it would build a $1.1 billion facility in Louisiana.  

Why it’s important: “With this ongoing commitment, we are poised to support the growth in domestic electricity demand,” Shoals CEO Brandon Moss said in a statement.

• In 2024, U.S. electricity demand surpassed its previous high in 2022, and power demand is expected to grow in the coming years, according to the International Energy Agency.