U.S.-based solar module manufacturer First Solar has announced that it has signed a new global supply agreement for renewable energy with Akuo Energy, an independent global renewable energy company in France. Through the agreement, First Solar will supply Akuo Energy with 500 MW of thin-film photovoltaic solar modules.
Under the agreement, First Solar will provide 200 megawatts of power to Akuo-designed utility-scale projects in the United States. Delivery is expected in the first half of 2024. The remaining 500 MW of modules should be delivered in 2025 and 2026, with the possibility of building power projects in Europe or elsewhere where Akuo operates.
First Solar's thin-film PV modules are ethically manufactured, designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio.
With the help of First Solar's innovative high-value recycling program, other components such as aluminum, glass and laminates are recycled at a rate of approximately 90%. This includes the semiconductor element cadmium telluride, which can be used to make new modules.
To increase domestic photovoltaic solar production capacity by 3.3 GW per year, First Solar also announced the opening of its third U.S. production facility in Lake Town, Ohio.
According to First Solar, the new facility will be fully operational in the first half of 2023. The company claims this will increase the company's footprint in northwest Ohio to a total annual capacity of 6GW, making it the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facility outside of China.
First Solar added that the new manufacturing unit will directly employ more than 2,500 people in Ohio and support approximately 15,000 indirect jobs through its U.S. supply chain. According to First Solar, they have committed to spend more than $2 billion to expand their U.S. manufacturing base.
In addition to this, First Solar also talked about its new manufacturing facility in India. They claim that by the second half of 2023 or 2024, another manufacturing plant with a capacity of 3.3 GW will be opened.
