8 February 2017

First Solar and Prime Road Group complete 18MW of solar farms in Thailand

Bangkok-based investment group Prime Road Group Co Ltd (PRG, which develops, owns and operates renewable energy projects in Thailand and Japan) and First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA – which makes thin-film photovoltaic modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) – have completed four solar farms totaling 18MWDC of capacity in Thailand. Located across the Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani Provinces, the Prime Road Group Co-Op Project utilizes more than 158,500 First Solar modules to produce about 29,600 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in the first year of operation. Developed under Thailand's Governmental Agency and Agricultural Cooperatives Program, the completion marks a milestone for the country as it continues to grow its installed solar PV capacity and target 30% renewable energy by 2036.

Picture: The Sena 1 solar installation is one of four solar farms included in a group of power generation assets completed across the Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani provinces in Thailand by Prime Road Group. First Solar supplied 18MW of PV modules.

Thailand-based developer Prime Road Group has partnered with First Solar as the module supplier and Bouygues-Thai Ltd - a subsidiary of the French Bouygues Group - as the engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contractor for the delivery of the project. The project will produce enough energy annually to power 12,000 homes in Thailand and displace about 14,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

"We have developed a broad range of renewable energy projects in Thailand and Japan, and the Prime Road Group Co-Op Project adds to our growing regional portfolio of high-quality solar farms developed, owned and operated by our group," says Prime Road Group's director Surachet Chaipatamanont. "First Solar's thin-film technology was selected for Prime Road Group Co-Op Project because of its superior energy performance attributes compared to traditional solar modules, making it suitable for the hot and humid conditions in Thailand," he comments.

First Solar claims that its Series 4 PV modules deployed at the four sites are suited to the local environmental conditions in Southeast Asia, due to their superior temperature coefficient, better shading response, and better spectral response. This performance allows for optimal performance and, over the course of the project's operational life, will translate into significant gains in power output, he adds.

"Completion represents a significant installation of First Solar modules in Southeast Asia," says Robert Bartrop, First Solar's director of business development in Southeast Asia and China. "First Solar's partnership with the Prime Road Group Co-Op Project reflects the value of First Solar technology in hot and humid climates such as Thailand, and we look forward to supporting future projects and the country's renewable energy targets," he adds.

Electricity from the Prime Road Group Co-Op Project will be sold via a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Provincial Electricity Authority of Thailand at a rate of THB5.66 per kilowatt hour.

Tags: First Solar Thin-film photovoltaic CdTe

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