News: Photovoltaics
17 July 2023
Energix to buy 5GW of First Solar modules, for delivery in 2026–2030
First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA says that Israel-based Energix Renewable Energy Ltd has agreed to procure 5GWDC of its cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules, for delivery in 2026–2030 for projects in Israel, Poland and the USA.
Energix will take delivery of modules on a free-carrier (FCA) basis from a location near the relevant First Solar factories. Also, Energix has the right to increase or decrease the total volume to be procured under the agreement by 200MWDC each year during the five-year term (with any such increase subject to module availability).
Energix, which has a portfolio of more than 7GW of projects under development in Israel, Poland and the USA, has also contracted First Solar Recycling Services to manage end-of-life handling of decommissioned modules. Prior to this deal, the firm had placed over 3.5GWDC of orders for First Solar technology since 2017.
“As we grow our pipeline, we want a trusted partner that will not compromise on quality, its commitments, or principles, and that partner is First Solar,” says Energix’s CEO Asa (Asi) Levinger. “This deal, our largest ever, strongly reflects the long-term strategic partnership we share with First Solar. It also constitutes a significant milestone for Energix's long-term growth, as we rapidly expand our global pipeline, with an emphasis on the United States,” he adds.
“This deal demonstrates once again the substantial place Energix takes as one of our biggest clients worldwide,” says First Solar’s chief commercial officer Georges Antoun. “This is another example of a large, sophisticated player choosing to de-risk its development portfolio by working with us. They recognize that they do not simply get a high-quality, high-performance, responsibly produced PV module, but a trusted partner and long-term pricing and supply certainty, which are rarities in the solar industry.”
First Solar claims to be the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) global registry for sustainable electronics. End-of-life modules from Energix projects will be processed by First Solar’s recycling program, which provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules while also recovering other materials including aluminium, glass and laminates.
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 says that it has zero tolerance for forced labor in its manufacturing or its supply chains.
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
