Widmar appreciates India’s clean energy targets with effective trade and industrial policy
Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) has announced that it intends to invest US$684 million in a new, fully vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) thin film solar module manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, making it one of the biggest American manufacturing investments in the country this year. The planned facility, expected to be operational in the second half of 2023, is projected to have a nameplate capacity of 3.3 gigawatts (GW) DC.
“India is an attractive market for First Solar, and not simply because our module technology is advantaged in its hot, humid climate. It is an inherently sustainable market, underpinned by a growing economy and appetite for energy, with a well-defined goal that will need over 25 GW of solar to be deployed every year for the next nine years,” Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar, said on 29 July 2021.
“Crucially, it has combined its clean energy targets with effective trade and industrial policy designed to enable self-sufficient domestic manufacturing and true energy security. We also have many longstanding customers in the country that will be pleased to have access to an advanced PV module, which is made in India, for India.”
Widmar elaborated, “India stands apart in the decisiveness of its response to China’s strategy of state-subsidized global dominance of the crystalline silicon solar supply chain. The country’s comprehensive approach provides precisely the kind of level playing field needed for non-Chinese solar manufacturers to compete on their own merits, and should be a template for other likeminded nations. We’re very pleased to be able to support the sustainable energy ambitions of a major US ally in the Indo-Pacific region with American-designed solar technology.”
Unique among the world’s 10 largest solar manufacturers for being the only US-headquartered company, for not using a crystalline silicon (c-Si) semiconductor, and for not manufacturing in China, First Solar produces its thin film PV modules using a fully integrated, continuous process under one roof and does not rely on Chinese c-Si supply chains.
With First Solar’s expansion in the United States and India and optimization of its existing fleet, the company anticipates that its nameplate manufacturing capacity will double to 16 GWDC in 2024.
The company’s eco-efficient module technology, which uses its proprietary Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor, has the lowest carbon and water footprints of any PV module available today.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that India will overtake the European Union (EU) to become the world’s third largest consumer of electricity by 2030, as the country’s population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continue to grow. As part of its climate targets, India has committed to ensuring that renewables will make up 40% of its energy portfolio by 2030, and the country is forecast to account for almost 20% of the world’s installed solar capacity by 2040.
The facility will be designed using the advanced manufacturing template established for First Solar’s recently-announced factory in Ohio. Combining highly skilled workers with Industry 4.0 architecture, machine-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things connectivity, it will feature high degrees of automation, precision, and continuous improvement.
Designed and developed at its research and development (R&D) centers in the United States, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance. Each module features a layer of CadTel semiconductor that is only 3% the thickness of a human hair and the company continues to optimize the amount of semiconductor material used by enhancing its vapor deposition process. First Solar also operates an advanced recycling program that recovers more than 90% of CadTel for use in new modules.
First Solar is a leading American solar technology company and global provider of responsibly produced eco-efficient solar modules advancing the fight against climate change. Developed at R&D labs in California and Ohio, the company’s advanced thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules represent the next generation of solar technologies, providing a competitive, high-performance, lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV panels. From raw material sourcing and manufacturing through end-of-life module recycling, First Solar’s approach to technology embodies sustainability and a responsibility towards people and the planet. #investment #project #manufacturing #energy /fiinews.com
