25 June 2012

First Solar installs 10 millionth power plant PV module

First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA, which makes thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), says that its Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) team has installed its 10 millionth module in a utility-scale solar power project.

The installation took place at the 550MWAC Desert Sunlight Solar Farm solar project that it is constructing for NextEra Energy Resources LLC (a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc of Juno Beach, FL, USA, and the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun) and GE Energy Financial Services (which each acquired 50% of the project from First Solar last October).

Located near the community of Desert Center in Riverside County, CA and creating an average of 400 construction jobs, the Desert Sunlight project is part of First Solar's 2.7GWAC utility-scale solar project pipeline in North America, which will support 7000 supply chain and construction jobs over the next several years.

First Solar is the largest PV solar power plant construction firm, and was recently recognized by Engineering News-Record as the fifth largest construction firm in the power sector. “It’s also fitting to install our 10 millionth EPC module at the Desert Sunlight project, which will set a solar record as well,” says Jim Lamon, First Solar’s senior VP of engineering, procurement & construction and operations & maintenance. “When completed in 2015, it will be one of the two largest PV solar projects in the world, along with the 550MW Topaz project we’re building in San Luis Obispo County,” he adds.

First Solar has cumulatively produced almost 80 million of modules, enough to circle the earth nearly 2.5 times, the firm says. The total represents a peak generating capacity of more than 6GW, enough to power 3 million homes and displace over 4 million tons of CO2 per year.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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