First Solar outpaces expectations
First Solar’s success story does not pause but pushes ahead to increase the
company’s production capacity for solar to 1 GW per year, lower production
costs to $1 per watt, and acquire OptiSolar’s pipeline.
Figure 3. First Solar manufacturing in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. Figure 4. First Solar FS series 2 PV module.
of thin film PV technology to provide an First Solar and one that is going to change build utility-scale solar generation in Cali-
alternative to traditional fossil fuels and for our trajectory and catapult us into a whole fornia. The first three projects in Southern
solar power to provide a meaningful con- new league when it comes to the U.S. util- California Edison’s utility-owned genera-
tribution in addressing climate change,” ity market,” said CEO Mike Ahearn. tion program were awarded to First Solar.
Zweibel said. First Solar expects to construct solar The current agreement will expand upon
power plants developed under the acquired its ex development capabilities and add to
Tapping into the grid solar power project pipeline over the next the generation project pipeline.
While traditional semiconductor compa- few years and sell them to a combination “OptiSolar has created an impressive
nies have expanded into power optimiza- of regulated utilities, diversified energy and well-designed development pipeline,”
tion and PV equipment, First Solar has companies and other independent power said Ahern in a report. “As First Solar
moved closer to the use of solar energy. producers. In the process, 400 new green continues to drive down its manufacturing
In March, it acquired access to Hayward, collar jobs are expected to be created in and EPC costs, OptiSolar’s project pipeline
Calif.-based OptiSolar Inc.’s solar project California. First Solar will support on- and the ability of our team to continually
pipeline to expand its penetration within time delivery of the projects beginning as expand our existing pipeline will enable us
the U.S. utility solar power market. The planned in 2010. to bring solar energy on-line quickly and
agreement to acquire OptiSolar included This expansion into the utility area further reduce greenhouse gas emissions
a 550 megawatt (MW) AC solar develop- began as early as November 2007 when from the grid.”
ment project under a power purchase it acquired Turner Renewable Energy as
agreement with PG&E, a project pipeline egress into engineering, procurement and recent news
of additional 1,300MW in negotiation construction (EPC) capabilities of utility- Late in March 2009 First Solar entered
with Western region utilities for solar scale solar plants in the U.S. Since then into a 25-year power purchase agreement
development projects, and land rights it constructed a 10MW AC plant in El with Tri-State Generation and Transmis-
of approximately 136,000 acres with the Dorado, Nev., with Sempra Generation. sion Association, Inc., a wholesale electric
potential to deploy up to 19GW AC of Additionally in October 2008, First Solar power supplier for 1.4 million consumers
utility-scale solar power projects. entered into a strategic agreement with through 44 electric cooperatives and public
“This is a watershed acquisition for Edison Mission Energy to develop and power districts in Colorado, New Mexico,
www.globalsolartechnology.com Global Solar Technology – March/April 2009 – 19
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