7 January 2011

CdTe PV maker First Solar buys RayTracker

First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA, which makes thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe), has acquired RayTracker Inc of Pasadena, CA, a tracking technology and photovoltaic (PV) balance-of-systems firm that is an operating company of Idealab, a creator and operator of technology firms.

As well as Idealab, RayTracker is backed by The Quercus Trust and Phoenix Fire IV LLC (whose manager, Richard Klein, owns and operates Quixotic Systems Inc).

RayTracker was founded to meet the need for robust, reliable and cost-effective solar trackers, as well as for software and hardware to enable the lowest-cost design, installation and operation of solar PV plants.

RayTracker’s entire team will join First Solar’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) group, bringing expertise in solar technology innovation, reliability engineering, advanced PV system modeling, software engineering, product development and high-volume manufacturing. RayTracker’s customers will be transitioned to First Solar, the firm says.

“The addition of RayTracker’s people and technology will help accelerate our ongoing quest to enable a world powered by clean, affordable and sustainable solar electricity,” says First Solar’s president Bruce Sohn. “We welcome RayTracker’s innovative associates to our advanced systems development team,” he adds.

First Solar shares RayTracker’s vision of reducing the levelized cost of solar electricity to that of fossil fuels, says RayTracker’s president Mark Henderson. “From early on in our discussions with First Solar, it was very clear that there was great synergy between the capabilities and technologies of the two companies,” he adds. Technology developed by RayTracker includes its GC-Series single-axis trackers, its unique PV-Platform Software Toolset for system design and operation, wireless infrastructure technology, and other PV balance-of-system innovations.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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