“There is a growing desire to utilize renewable energy,” said Bill Fehrman, president of MidAmerican Renewables. “Solar plays a crucial role in meeting renewable energy targets and portfolios. The closing of the Topaz project acquisition makes it the second solar project in our renewables business, and we look forward to evaluating and acquiring additional opportunities.”

The Topaz project will be built, operated and maintained by First Solar. Construction began in December 2011 and is expected to be complete by early 2015. The project will create approximately 400 construction jobs and 15 ongoing operations and maintenance jobs.

“We are pleased to be moving forward with MidAmerican Renewables on the Topaz project — one of the two largest PV projects in the world, which are both being built by First Solar,” said Frank De Rosa, First Solar senior vice president for business development — the Americas. “First Solar is the leading developer of utility-scale PV projects, and MidAmerican Renewables’ investment in these renewable resources is a significant endorsement.”

Pacific Gas and Electric Company will purchase the electricity from the Topaz project under a 25-year power purchase agreement, helping California meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.

Developed by First Solar, the Topaz project will incorporate the company’s advanced thin-film PV modules, which generate electricity with no emissions, waste or water use and have the smallest carbon footprint of any PV technology. Electricity generated from the Topaz project will displace approximately 377,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — the equivalent of taking approximately 73,000 cars off the road.”

Read more: Press Release

First Solar associates hold the company’s record breaking 14.4 percent efficient module, manufactured in Perrysburg, Ohio.

The record performance, announced today at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi by First Solar Chief Technology Officer Dave Eaglesham, comes just six months after First Solar leapfrogged the world record for CdTe solar cell efficiency with a mark of 17.3 percent. Both the cell and module record-setters were constructed using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials at the Company’s Perrysburg, Ohio factory. Cell efficiency measures the proportion of light converted to energy in a single solar cell, whereas total area module efficiency measures light conversion across a production-size, multi-cell solar module, providing a more realistic assessment of real-world performance than cell or aperture-area efficiency.

“This considerable achievement supports our module efficiency roadmap and demonstrates our ability to convert our record-cell technology into ongoing module-level improvements,” said Dave Eaglesham, First Solar’s Chief Technology Officer. “These records also underscore the tremendous ongoing potential of CdTe compared to silicon-based technologies.”

First Solar updated its module efficiency roadmap in December 2011 to the increased goal of 14.5-15 percent average efficiency for its production modules by the end of 2015, and the process improvements developed for the record-setting cell and module continue to be implemented as part of that roadmap. The average efficiency of First Solar modules increased from 11.4 percent in 2010 to 11.7 percent in 2011 and is expected to reach 12.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

“Our continuous investment in R&D has enabled the steady progress of our technology, punctuated by landmark achievements such as this,” said Mike Ahearn, Chairman and interim CEO of First Solar. “Our consistent progress gives us confidence in our ability to achieve our roadmap goals, drive down costs and develop sustainable markets.”

First Solar, which has manufactured more than 5 GW of its advanced thin-film modules, utilizes a continuous manufacturing process which transforms a sheet of glass into a complete solar module in less than 2.5 hours, which contributes to the company’s industry-leading energy payback time and the low carbon footprint of systems using First Solar PV modules. First Solar also implemented the industry’s first comprehensive, prefunded solar module collection and recycling program. Anyone wishing to dispose of First Solar modules can request collection at any time, at no additional cost, and First Solar will pick up the modules and recycle up to 90% (by mass) of the material for use in new products, including new solar modules and new glass products.”

Source: First Solar Press Release

First Solar CEO Rob Gillette and Mesa, Ariz., Vice Mayor Scott Somers unveil a ceremonial marker commemorating construction progress for the company’s new factory, while Barry Broome, President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, looks on. (Photo: Business Wire)

Representatives from the city of Mesa and First Solar officials hosted a reception at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Mesa to celebrate construction progress. Vice Mayor Scott Somers, Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) President and CEO Barry Broome, and Tom Alston, Solar Outreach and Policy Coordinator for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, also took part in the celebration.

“First Solar coming to Mesa is an important step to establish Arizona as a major player in the solar and clean energy industry. This cutting-edge facility brings hundreds of new high-tech jobs to the East Valley and adds to the ongoing development of the Gateway area,” Mayor Scott Smith said. “Projects like this don’t happen without the cooperation between the private and public sectors, region and state. I’d like to thank those partners, especially First Solar and DMB, for working together to bring this facility to the Mesa Proving Grounds.”

“Our Mesa factory has progressed from an idea to advanced construction in just a few short months, which would not have been possible without the support and hard work of countless state and local officials. Today we dedicate this site to the many people and agencies that helped make it happen, both public and private,” said Rob Gillette, CEO of First Solar. “The U.S. is our fastest-growing market, and the additional production capacity from this factory will help us meet growing demand for clean, locally produced solar electricity.”

First Solar’s Mesa factory is expected to begin producing modules by the third quarter of 2012 and will employ approximately 600 full-time associates. First Solar is investing just over $300 million in the four-line factory, which will produce approximately 250 megawatts (MW) of thin-film modules per year.

Output from the new factory is expected to be used in the construction of First Solar’s 2,600MW North American project pipeline, which includes the 290MW Agua Caliente project, located in Yuma County, Ariz. When fully operational in 2014, Agua Caliente will generate enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of about 100,000 average homes per year, displacing approximately 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of taking about 40,000 cars off the road. Output from the Mesa factory is also expected to be used in First Solar’s California projects, including the 550MW Topaz project, 230MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One and the 550MW Desert Sunlight project.

Todd Spangler joined First Solar in February 2007 as the company’s Director of Manufacturing. In December 2008, he was promoted to Plant Manager of the Perrysburg, Ohio, campus. Prior to joining First Solar, he managed multiple plants and distribution centers for Lutron Electronics, the world’s leader in lighting controls.

Mike Koralewski has been with First Solar since August of 2006, leading the company’s global quality and product reliability initiatives. Prior to First Solar, he was employed by Dana Corporation for 10 years in a variety of quality functions throughout different business units.”

Read more: Press Release

Steven Chu

According to the press release, “U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced offers of conditional commitments for loan guarantees, of approximately $4.5 billion, to support three alternating current Cadmium Telluride (Cd-Te) thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar generation facilities.  The Department is offering a conditional commitment for a $680 million loan guarantee to support the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project, conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees of $1.88 billion in loans to support the Desert Sunlight project, and conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees of $1.93 billion in loans to support the Topaz Solar project.  First Solar, Inc., with headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, is sponsoring all three projects and will provide Cd-Te thin film solar PV modules for the projects from a new manufacturing plant that has begun construction in Mesa, Arizona, as well as from its recently expanded manufacturing plant in Perrysburg, Ohio, which serves as its primary hub for engineering, research and development.  The company expects that the projects will create a combined 1,400 jobs in California during peak construction.

“These projects will bring immediate jobs to California in addition to hundreds more across the supply chain,” said Secretary Chu.  “Together the projects will power hundreds of thousands of homes with clean, renewable power and increase our global competitiveness in the clean energy economy.”

DOE is offering a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee to AV Solar Ranch 1, LLC to support the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project. The 230 megawatt (MW) project will be located in the Antelope Valley area of the Western Mojave Desert, approximately 80 miles north of Los Angeles, California.  The project is expected to generate 350 construction jobs and will feature a utility-scale deployment of innovative inverters with voltage regulation and monitoring technologies that are new to the U.S. market.  The inverters enable the project to provide more stable and continuous power, increasing the efficiency and reliability of large-scale solar power plants greater than 100 MW.  The facility is expected to generate over 622,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, equivalent to powering over 54,000 homes, and will avoid over 350,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.  Power from the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

DOE is offering conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees to Desert Sunlight 250, LLC and Desert Sunlight 300, LLC to support the Desert Sunlight project.  The 550 MW project is expected to generate 550 jobs during construction and will be located on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in eastern Riverside County, California.  The Desert Sunlight project is expected to use 8.8 million Cd-Te thin film solar PV modules, which are commercially proven and have been deployed since 2001.  The facility is expected to generate enough electricity to power over 110,000 homes and will avoid over 735,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.  Project construction will take place in two phases; Phase I will generate 300MW of power, which will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric Company, while Phase II will generate 250 MW of power, which will be sold to Southern California Edison.  The $1.88 billion in loans that are partially guaranteed by DOE will be funded by a syndicate of institutional investors and commercial banks led by lead lender and lender-applicant, Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC, which submitted the project under the Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP), and Citibank N.A. as co-lead arranger.

DOE is offering conditional commitments for partial loan guarantees to Topaz Solar Farms, LLC to support the Topaz Solar project.  The 550 MW project is expected to generate 500 jobs during construction and will be located in eastern San Luis Obispo County, California.  The Topaz Solar project will use over 8.5 million Cd-Te thin film solar PV modules and is anticipated to generate enough electricity to power approximately 110,000 homes and avoid nearly 725,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.  The project’s power will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric Company.  The $1.93 billion in loans that are partially guaranteed by DOE will be funded by a syndicate of institutional investors and commercial banks led by lead lender and lender-applicant, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, who submitted the project under the Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP).

The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office administers three separate programs:  the Title XVII Section 1703 and Section 1705 loan guarantee programs, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program.   The loan guarantee programs support the deployment of commercial technologies along with innovative technologies that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, while the ATVM supports the development of advanced vehicle technologies.  Under all three programs, DOE has issued loans, loan guarantees or offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees totaling over $38 billion to support 40 clean energy projects across the U.S.  The program’s 23 generation projects will produce over 32 million megawatt-hours annually, or enough to power over 2.5 million homes.  To date, the program has conditionally committed over $16 billion in loan guarantees to support 15 solar generation projects.  DOE has also conditionally committed financing to support numerous other projects, such as four of the world’s largest solar projects, two geothermal projects, the world’s largest wind farm and the nation’s first new nuclear power plant in three decades.”

Read more: First Solar

The company also announced that its second factory at Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, has begun producing solar modules one month ahead of schedule. The four new production lines are still expected to ramp to full production during the third quarter of 2011, bringing annual capacity at the two Frankfurt factories to more than 500 megawatts.

First Solar, which is one of the world’s leading producers of photovoltaic solar modules, also has manufacturing sites in Perrysburg, Ohio and Kulim, Malaysia, as well as new plants under construction in Mesa, Arizona and Vietnam. It recently completed the production ramp of its two newest plants in Malaysia.”

Read more: First Solar Press Release

Under the terms of the agreement, First Solar and CPINE will initially explore collaboration on solar PV projects in China and identify project investment opportunities for CPINE in the U.S. and other global solar markets, leveraging CPINE’s role as a leading renewable energy developer in China, including CPINE’s planned 2 GW of solar in China by 2020, and First Solar’s expertise as a leading global solar PV technology company, including its 2.4 GW pipeline in North America.

“We are very pleased to build an extensive and in-depth relationship with First Solar, a global leader in solar PV technology. This cooperation leverages our advantages in the domestic solar power industry, and helps First Solar further expand its business presence in China. In addition, we are happy to explore other cooperation opportunities in different areas and through different methods with First Solar, working together to further expand in the global market,” said Madame Li. “Solar power offers tremendous growth potential in China and the U.S.”

“First Solar is very pleased to be expanding our commercial presence in China by establishing this relationship with CPINE, one of the premier clean energy state-owned companies in China and a leader in clean energy development,” said Kallenbach. “Both China and the U.S. are important markets with vast potential for sustainable solar energy, and this agreement can serve as a model for U.S.-China collaboration on renewable energy. Our agreement with CPINE also includes the potential to expand to other international markets, which could open up tremendous opportunities.” ”

Read more: First Solar Press Release

The solar panels will be ground-mounted on about 2,500 acres of public land near Primm, Nev. First Solar is developing the project, named Silver State South, which will interconnect with SCE’s proposed Eldorado-Ivanpah 220-kilovolt transmission line. The project is expected to begin producing electricity as early as 2014 and be fully operational by May 2017. It will create about 300 construction jobs, and the solar panels will be recycled after their useful lifespan.

“First Solar’s industry-leading technology makes solar PV an excellent option for clean, emission-free power we can deliver to our customers,” said Marc Ulrich, SCE vice president, Renewable and Alternative Power. “When we get projects of this magnitude, we make great progress toward our renewable energy goals.”

This contract is subject to California Public Utilities Commission approval.

“This agreement represents another important milestone toward our goal of grid parity,” said Frank De Rosa, First Solar senior vice president of North American Project Development. “First Solar applauds SCE’s commitment to renewable energy and looks forward to bringing this project to completion.”

Southern California Edison is the nation’s leading utility for renewables. In 2009, SCE delivered 13.6 billion kilowatt hours of renewable power to its customers, about 17 percent of its total power portfolio.”

Read more: First Solar Press Release

With the NextLight acquisition, First Solar now has power purchase agreements for 2.2 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects in North America. The transaction represents another strategic step in First Solar’s expansion in the U.S. utility-scale power market, which began in 2007 with the acquisition of Turner Renewable Energy and continued with the acquisitions of solar project pipelines from OptiSolar in 2009 and Edison Mission Group in 2010. NextLight’s team of project developers and other staff have joined First Solar.

The first project developed by NextLight that is expected to start construction by First Solar is the 290 megawatt Agua Caliente Solar Project in Yuma County, Arizona. The California Public Utilities Commission on June 3 approved the project’s power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the appeal period expired without challenge on July 7. Construction is expected to start this year.

First Solar acquired NextLight in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $297 million, subject to finalization of the estimated closing date adjustments.”

A leader in utility-scale solar power plants, First Solar is the first pure PV company to join Desertec, which aims to provide a significant portion of the electricity for the Middle East and Northern Africa as well as Europe by 2050 via a network of solar and wind energy sources.

“We look forward to working with Desertec to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies – and PV in particular – to deliver clean, reliable power to the people of Africa and the Middle East as well as Europe,” said Stephan Hansen, managing director of First Solar GmbH, the company’s European sales and customer service unit for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “The challenges of energy security and global warming demand bold solutions and Desertec certainly provides an ambitious vision,” he said.

As an Associated Partner of Desertec for an initial period of three years, First Solar will contribute utility-scale PV expertise in Desertec working groups and prepare the ground for reference projects and a roll-out plan. Desertec’s founders include other leading companies in the solar and wind energy business as well as in electricity distribution.

First Solar has already built utility-scale solar power plants in desert conditions in the United States and United Arab Emirates and is preparing the way for a 2 gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia.

Among other characteristics, First Solar’s thin-film technology delivers superior energy yields even under hot desert conditions.

“As a high-performance, low-maintenance technology that can be deployed in stages and deliver clean energy quickly, PV is the ideal complement to other renewable energies already represented in Desertec,” said Mr. Hansen.”

Source: Press Release

According to First Solar, “First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced a power purchase agreement to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Company with renewable electricity from a 300 megawatt (AC) utility-scale photovoltaic solar power facility that First Solar is developing in Southern California.

The Desert Sunlight project, to be located near Desert Center in eastern Riverside County, Calif., will have a total capacity of 550 megawatts, enough to power approximately 160,000 area homes – or about 480,000 residents. The other 250 MW portion of the project is already under contract to Southern California Edison. First Solar’s power purchase agreements with PG&E and SCE are subject to the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.

First Solar will build the Desert Sunlight project using its industry leading thin-film photovoltaic solar modules and providing its project development, engineering, procurement and construction capabilities. With construction expected to start by the end of 2010 and completion as early as 2013, the project will displace 300,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road. It will also create approximately 430 construction jobs. The project’s permit application has been fast tracked by the Bureau of Land Management.

“First Solar is one of the few companies that has all the capabilities required to realize very large, utility-scale solar projects like Desert Sunlight, which are important in helping our customers and California reach the state’s renewable energy goals,” said Rob Gillette, First Solar chief executive officer.

First Solar has 1,700 megawatts of utility-scale power projects with power purchase agreements in North America.”

Source: First Solar Press Release