News: Photovoltaics
6 July 2023
Capital Power orders 1GW of First Solar PV modules
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA says that Capital Power Corp of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – which builds, owns and operates 29 utility-scale generation facilities across North America including renewables and thermal – has secured its first order for about 1GWDC of thin-film solar modules. For delivery between 2026 and 2028, the Series 6 Plus modules will support Capital Power’s growing development portfolio.
“First Solar’s longstanding investment in domestic supply chains ensures the use of high-quality American solar technology, including products made with significant amounts of domestically sourced content, to power our projects,” comments Chris Kopecky, senior VP & chief legal, development and commercial officer, Capital Power. “We look forward to building on this relationship.”
First Solar says that its thin-film semiconductor, integrated manufacturing process and tightly controlled supply chain helps to eliminate the risk of exposure to solar supply chains identified by the US Department of Labor’s 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor as being tainted by forced labor. The firm is the only one of the world’s ten largest solar manufacturers to be a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to supporting the rights and well-being of workers and communities in the global supply chain. First Solar is also the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) global registry for sustainable electronics.
“Capital Power joins a growing group of project developers that partner with First Solar as a reliable module technology provider that can help de-risk their project pipelines by delivering long-term pricing and supply certainty,” says First Solar’s chief commercial officer Georges Antoun.
Committed to net zero by 2045, Capital Power’s balanced approach to power generation includes a focused effort on solar energy growth across North America. With three solar facilities in operation, Capital Power aims to use its development and construction expertise to deliver projects against an active US solar pipeline totaling nearly 2.4GWDC.
First Solar is investing about $1.3bn in expanding its US manufacturing footprint from over 6.5GWDC of annual nameplate capacity currently to about 10.9GWDC by 2026. In addition to the $1.1bn expected investment in a new 3.5GWDC facility in Alabama, the firm has also embarked on a $185m expansion of its existing manufacturing footprint in Ohio. First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, also announced an investment of up to $370m for a dedicated R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
First Solar investing $270m in R&D innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio
