News: Photovoltaics
9 March 2020
Four California projects sold by First Solar go to Longroad Energy
First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA – which makes thin-film photovoltaic modules based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) as well as providing engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) services – says that Longroad Energy is the acquirer of four solar projects with a combined capacity of 160MWAC. Longroad Energy is a US-based renewable energy developer, owner and operator, with a multi-gigawatt portfolio of wind and solar projects across the USA. First Solar had previously disclosed the transaction without identifying the acquirer.
Backed by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with community choice aggregator (CCA) Marin Clean Energy (MCE), the Little Bear Solar projects in Fresno County, California, range in capacity from 20MWAC to 50MWAC and are designed to have a low impact on local land and water resources, and the environment. They are expected to be completed by the end of fourth-quarter 2020. In addition to creating about 500 jobs during contruction, Little Bear Solar is also expected to benefit local businesses.
“MCE’s customers have made the important choice to consume carbon-free electricity, and it is only fitting that these projects will be powered by lowest carbon solar modules available today,” says Longroad’s chief operating officer Michael Alvarez.
The projects will be powered by First Solar’s Series 6 module technology. Designed and developed at the firm’s R&D centers in California and Ohio, and produced in just 3.5 hours using fully integrated manufacturing processes, each large-format Series 6 module leverages First Solar’s proprietary thin-film technology, and has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than crystalline silicon PV panels manufactured using conventional, energy-intensive production methods, it is reckoned.
“CCAs are playing a growing role in the democratization and decarbonization of California’s electricity,” comments First Solar’s chief commercial officer Georges Antoun. “With demand being driven primarily by environmentally conscious consumers, we see a tremendous opportunity to support the growth of this segment with our portfolio of responsibly developed projects, powered by the world’s lowest-carbon solar module technology.”
