8 October 2012

First Solar partners with Kiran and Mahindra on 50MWDC of projects in Rajasthan

First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA, project developer Kiran Energy Solar Power Pvt Ltd of Mumbai, India and Mahindra Solar One Pvt Ltd (a joint venture between Kiran Energy and Mumbai-based conglomerate Mahindra) have completed an agreement for the supply of First Solar’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules for two solar power plants totalling 50MWDC to be constructed in India's Rajasthan state.

The two adjacent projects (collectively one of India's largest PV installations upon completion) are part of the second batch of utility-scale solar projects concluded under India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (NSM), which aims to install 20,000MW of new solar electricity generating capacity by 2022.

First Solar will supply more than 585,000 of its modules for the two projects of 30MWDC and 20MWDC. Construction on both projects is expected to begin this year and be completed in first-quarter 2013.

“We are pleased they [Kiran and Mahindra Solar One] selected our technology as the best solution for the high ambient temperatures and diffuse sunlight conditions here,” says Sujoy Ghosh, First Solar’s India country head.

“Kiran Energy, as well as our joint venture Mahindra Solar One, will own the largest solar power plant aggregation in a single location in India,” notes Pramoda Karkal, chief operating officer of Kiran Energy, which has a total of 75MW under operation/construction and has a pipeline of solar PV projects in India.

Together, the side-by-side projects are expected to produce an average of more than 85,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year (equivalent to the electricity needs of more than 97,000 average Indian households) and displace more than 80,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, based on the national averages.

Tags: First Solar CdTe

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