7 January 2011

First Solar and China Guangdong Nuclear to co-develop Ordos project

At a ceremony in Beijing, Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA (which makes thin-film photovoltaic modules based on cadmium telluride) and Han Qinghao (president of China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development Co Ltd, or CGN SEDC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the development of Phase 1 of the previously 2GW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.

The agreement is a key step forward for the Ordos project, following First Solar’s MOU with the Ordos Government in September 2009, and the Chinese government's approval last September of the pre-feasibility study for Phase 1.

Founded in August 2009 as a subsidiary of China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, CGN SEDC focuses on solar power investment, construction, operation and maintenance, and is actively involved in related industries. By the end of 2010, it had completed construction of solar facilities capable of producing 20MW, and is currently in the process of constructing facilities with a capacity of 70MW.

Under the terms of the latest MOU, First Solar and CGN SEDC will work together to execute the 30MW AC first-phase demonstration project. CGN SEDC will be the majority project owner and operator, performing the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) functions. First Solar will supply its thin-film solar PV modules and will support CGN SEDC with EPC and operations and maintenance (O&M) advisory services.

“We look forward to working together to make the Ordos project a reality and to contributing to China’s renewable energy goals and market development,” says Sohn. Ordos is the first significant solar project to adopt advanced thin-film technology in China, comments Han Qinghao.

The Ordos project also represents the first large-scale solar collaboration between China and the USA and an example of China–US bilateral cooperation on renewable energy.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

Visit: www.firstsolar.com

Visit: www.cgnsedc.com.cn

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