The facility is expected to be built in the state of Tamil Nadu and commence operations in the second half of 2023. It is expected to have a nameplate capacity of 3.3 gigawatts. With the company’s expansion in the US and India and the optimisation of its existing fleet, First Solar anticipates that its nameplate capacity will double to 16 GWDC in 2024.
Unique among the world’s ten 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. The company’s eco-efficient module technology uses its proprietary Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) semiconductor, which has very low carbon and water footprints.
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 percent of its energy portfolio by 2030, and the country is forecast to account for almost 20 percent of the world’s installed solar capacity by 2040.
“India is an attractive market for First Solar, and not simply because our module technology is advantaged in its hot, humid climate” said Mark Widmar, chief executive officer, First Solar. “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. 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.”
Mr Widmar added that India stands apart in the decisiveness of its response to China’s strategy of state-subsidised global dominance of the crystalline silicon solar supply chain and that 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.
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) centres in the United States, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules feature a layer of CadTel semiconductor that is only three percent the thickness of a human hair. The company continues to optimise the amount of semiconductor material used by enhancing its vapour deposition process. The company also operates an advanced recycling program that recovers more than 90 percent of CadTel for use in new modules.
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