Intersect Power selects First Solar for 1.7GW multi-year PV module supply contract

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA is to supply more than 1.7GWDC of its Series 6 photovoltaic (PV) modules (the largest order for Series 6 modules to date) to utility-scale renewable energy developer Intersect Power as part of a multi-year supply agreement. Deliveries will commence in fourth-quarter 2020 and continue until the end of 2021.

Modules will be deployed at five projects developed by Intersect Power and built by Signal Energy in Texas and California. In addition to this 1.7GW portfolio, Intersect Power has a multi-gigawatt pipeline of projects in early- and mid-stage development.

“With the scale of this transaction, we knew it was critical to partner with a top-tier module manufacturer like First Solar that can reliably deliver a world-class, high-performance product at competitive prices,” comments Intersect Power’s CEO & co-founder Sheldon Kimber. “Our decision to contract with First Solar was based on our confidence in its Series 6 technology and its ability to stand behind its obligations. There has never been more noise and chaos in the module market, which makes trusted partners with widely proven technologies more valuable than ever.”

Produced in just 3.5 hours using fully integrated manufacturing processes, each large-format Series 6 module leverages First Solar’s proprietary thin-film technology, retaining the proven performance and reliability advantages of earlier-generation modules. With its larger form factor and under-mount, single cross-bar frame, the design is said to improve installation rates and balance of system (BOS) costs.

“Intersect Power’s decision to invest in Series 6 on such a large scale validates the technology’s performance advantage over conventional solar panels, its competitiveness and its bankability,” says First Solar’s chief commercial officer Georges Antoun.

First Solar is expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet demand for Series 6 modules, with its second facility in the USA - representing nearly $1bn in cumulative investment - expected to start production in early-2020. Once operational, the new facility in Perrysburg, Ohio, will take First Solar’s aggregate Series 6 manufacturing capacity to 5.4GW per year.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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