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$1.6 Billion — What First Solar Got Paid Last Year Just for Making Solar Panels

It is not a grant or a loan. Section 45X pays U.S. factories per unit made, every month, as long as the production lines run.

AMERICANMADE

America’s new money

Something strange is happening to your money.

It wasn't voted on. It wasn't debated in the Senate. And most Americans have no idea it's even taking place but…

President Trump is replacing the U.S. dollar.

Not with crypto. Not with a digital currency. Something far bigger than that – and it's already been signed and sealed in the back rooms of D.C., ready to be issued by the U.S. Treasury.

Bypassing every legal and political channel under the guise of "national security," Trump has enacted this total money reset using a landmark executive order (1421).

Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, whether you support this new money or not, it doesn't matter.

Soon, every U.S. citizen will be forced to use Trump's New Dollar to fill their gas tank, buy groceries, and pay medical bills.

Which is why I've produced a critical new documentary laying out exactly what Trump's New Dollar means for your savings, your investments, and your family's financial future.

Detailing three important steps you can take today to prepare – including the name of a core band of assets connected to Trump’s initiative that could surge as a result.

As you’ll see in my briefing, the last time America reset its money like this – under Richard Nixon’s presidency in the 1970s – it created one of the greatest wealth divides in the history of our nation.

On one side, it minted an average of 1,300 new millionaires a day for over half a century. And on the other… the folks left behind, drowning in debt, with no idea how to use America’s new money to create wealth.

As Trump rolls out his new dollar, the question is:

Which side will you be on?

Last year First Solar got $1.6 billion from the U.S. government. Not for selling solar panels. For making them.

Read that again. $1.6 billion. Just for building solar panels on U.S. soil.

One law made that happen. It’s called Section 45X. And it might be the best reshoring tool Washington has ever built.

Let me explain.

Every time a U.S. factory makes a solar cell, Uncle Sam pays 4 cents per watt. Build a full solar module? Seven cents per watt. Roll out battery cells? Thirty-five dollars for every kilowatt-hour. Process key minerals like lithium or cobalt? You get 10 percent of your costs back.

This isn’t a one-time grant. It’s not a loan you pay back. You get paid every time you make something. The more you build, the more you earn. Month after month. Year after year. As long as the factory runs.

Congress put 45X into the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The idea was simple. Pay Americans to build the stuff we’ve been buying from China for decades.

And it’s working.

The Treasury says 45X will pump more than $30 billion into U.S. factories over the next ten years. Real money hitting real production lines in real American towns.

Since 2022, clean energy factory spending has jumped 305%. From $22 billion to $89 billion in just two years. New battery plants. New solar factories. New mineral processing sites. All on U.S. soil.

Then last July 4th, Trump signed the reconciliation law — the One Big Beautiful Bill. It changed the game.

Wind credits? Gone after 2027. But solar and battery credits stay through 2032. Key minerals last until 2033. That gives factories a long runway to build, hire, and grow.

Here’s the big part. New rules now block any company tied to China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran from getting 45X money. If a foreign group controls your board, owns 25 percent of your stock, or runs your supply chain… you’re locked out.

Think about what that means. A Chinese-backed battery plant in Georgia? No credit. A solar maker using parts from a state-owned Chinese firm? No credit. But an American company using American parts in an American factory? Full credit. Every unit. Every time.

That’s a huge win for U.S.-owned makers. And First Solar sits right at the top of that list.

The company runs five U.S. plants with 14 gigawatts of yearly output. Three in Ohio. One in Alabama. One in Louisiana. The Alabama plant just came online with 3.5 gigawatts of new capacity. Louisiana is close behind. First Solar employs about 7,900 people worldwide. And they’re building yet another plant in South Carolina.

First Solar expects $2.1–$2.19 billion in 45X credits this year alone. That’s more than double what it got two years ago. And it’s more than their entire Q1 revenue.

Let that sink in.

Battery makers win from this too. EnerSys projects $42–$47 million in 45X gains next quarter alone. The credit keeps growing as more U.S. plants ramp up output.

Here’s what I want you to see. Section 45X doesn’t pick winners by name. It picks them by zip code. Make it in America and you get paid. Make it overseas and you get nothing.

Simple. And for investors, it creates a very clear edge.

Solar cells earn 4¢ per watt. Solar modules earn 7¢ per watt. Battery cells earn $35 per kWh. Battery modules earn $10 per kWh. Critical minerals earn 10% of production costs.

You must make it in America to collect. No exceptions.

First Solar is the poster child for 45X. Q1 revenue hit $1.04 billion. Up 24% from a year ago. Net income was $347 million. That’s $3.22 per share… up from $1.95 last year.

The backlog tells the full story. Nearly 48 gigawatts of future sales on the books. Five U.S. plants running hard. And the new FEOC rules just shut out their biggest foreign rivals.

Morgan Stanley set a $245 target. Susquehanna says $270. UBS sees $330. As long as 45X pays U.S. factories to produce, this stock has a floor most solar firms simply don’t have.

This issue is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before you invest.

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