News: Photovoltaics
1 May 2024
Birch Creek orders 547MW of First Solar’s Series 6 Plus Bifacial modules
First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA is to supply 547MW of its Series 6 Plus Bifacial cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaics (PV) modules to renewable energy company Birch Creek Energy of St. Louis, Missouri, which develops, finances and owns utility-scale solar and storage projects across the USA.
The relationship with First Solar will “enable certainty of module supply for a critical part of our development pipeline,” expects Birch Creek’s CEO Dan Siegel. “By choosing to buy our modules from First Solar, we are strengthening our domestic content strategy with a trusted partner that delivers a competitive product,” he adds.
“Birch Creek’s decision to partner with us is a validation of our technology and competitiveness, and the value of pricing and supply certainty,” says First Solar’s chief commercial officer Georges Antoun. “We look forward to building on this relationship.”
First Solar, which exited 2023 with 6GW of annual US nameplate capacity, is the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere. Its investments in US manufacturing are also believed to make it the most significant enabler of American jobs among solar manufacturers. According to a recent study commissioned by First Solar, existing operations supported an estimated 16,245 direct, indirect and induced jobs in 2023, representing about $1.6bn in annual labor income. As First Solar grows to an expected 14GW in annual US nameplate capacity in 2026, the company is forecast to support an estimated 30,060 direct, indirect, and induced jobs across the USA. The study projects that every direct job that First Solar supports in 2026 will support 7.3 jobs nationwide.
In addition to expanding its footprint in Ohio to over 7GW of annual nameplate capacity this year, First Solar expects to invest over $2bn in new manufacturing facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, which are expected to come online in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Additionally, First Solar is on track to commission about $450m in R&D innovation infrastructure in Perrysburg, Ohio, in second-half 2024.
First Solar breaks ground on $1.1bn 3.5GW Louisiana factory
First Solar selects Alabama for fourth US manufacturing facility
First Solar investing $270m in R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio
