Solar ♦ news digest
Equities, Inc., and will address the construction market’s need to replace typical tinted window panes in high-rise buildings with Solar Glass Panels that generate electricity at the same time as functioning as a window, a skylight, or any other type of building cover.
GE and First Solar develop
thin film partnership New technology deal sees First Solar buy GE IP portfolio
GE and First Solar have announced a technology partnership to advance thin-film solar cells and modules. First Solar has acquired GE’s global cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar intellectual property portfolio, setting a course for significant advancement of photovoltaic (PV) thin-film solar technology. GE received 1.75 million shares of First Solar common stock as part of this transaction. GE has agreed to retain the shares for at least three years.
The combination of the two companies’ complementary technologies and First Solar’s existing manufacturing capabilities are expected to accelerate the development of cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar module performance and improve efficiency at manufacturing scale. In addition, GE Global Research and First Solar R&D will collaborate on future technology development to further advance CdTe solar technology.
GE, which has 34GW of renewable energy installed globally, will enhance its presence in solar through access to purchasing and branding First Solar’s modules for future global GE deployments, in addition to its investment in inverters, controls, balance of plant and ownership of utility scale systems.
Additionally, GE and First Solar have formed a commercial relationship around solar inverter technology. First Solar will continue to purchase inverters from GE Energy Management for use in First Solar’s global solar deployments to optimize electrical balance of plant. By combining complementary technologies, the collaboration is expected to lead to an improvement in solar grid integration, more competitive cost structures and a roadmap for combined electrical equipment.
“We are creating an exciting synergy with this deal,” said Jim Hughes, First Solar’s Chief Executive Officer. “The addition of GE’s PV thin film technology and R&D resources will advance our technology roadmap, while realizing cost reduction in our manufacturing process.” “To lead in today’s solar industry, you must have the most competitive technology at the most competitive cost position,” said Anne McEntee, president and CEO of GE’s renewable energy business. “We’re excited to partner with First Solar to accelerate innovation and bring our complementary technology and R&D to market faster through its manufacturing capabilities.”
First Solar’s existing manufacturing sites will be used to further advance CdTe technology and achieve an increasingly competitive cost position. GE has decided to discontinue the build-out of its Aurora, Colorado, solar manufacturing facility.
First Solar to supply CdTe modules for large Australian
projects AGL has engaged First Solar to construct a 102MW [AC] solar plant at Nyngan and a 53MW solar project at Broken Hill
First Solar and AGL Energy Limited (AGL) have secured financial closing for two utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.
First Solar has executed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to supply the projects with its advanced thin-film photovoltaic (PV) CdTe modules.
What’s more, First Solar will provide maintenance support for a period of five years once the solar farms are operational.
AGL has engaged First Solar to construct a 102MW [AC] solar plant at Nyngan and a 53MW solar project at Broken Hill - both located in New South Wales.
The projects are supported by $166.7 million of Commonwealth Government funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as well as an additional $64.9 million in funding from the NSW Government. The total project cost is approximately $450 million.
“The Nyngan and Broken Hill solar projects will be Australia’s largest utility-scale solar projects, respectively, and demonstrate that utility-scale solar is a proven, bankable source of power generation in Australia today,” explains Jack Curtis, First Solar’s Vice President of Business Development for Asia Pacific.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with AGL in delivering the solar projects, both of which are of major significance for regional New South Wales and the Australian energy sector. These projects will play an important part in the growing acceptance of utility-scale solar PV, and we applaud the Commonwealth Government and the NSW Government for their vision and commitment to the sector,” he continues.
Construction of the Nyngan project is expected to commence in January 2014, with commercial operation expected by mid-2015. Construction of the Broken Hill project will start approximately six months later, in July 2014, and is scheduled to reach commercial operation before the end of 2015.
On completion, the projects are expected to produce approximately 360,000 megawatt hours ofelectricity each year, which will be sufficient to meet the needs of over 50,000 average homes in NSW.
The Nyngan and Broken Hill solar plants are expected to provide significant value to regional New South Wales, adding nearly two percent to the gross regional product of each community.
First Solar is actively engaged with local companies looking to become involved in the projects, with over 100 local contractors attending the recent subcontractor forums hosted in Dubbo,
August/September 2013
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