A First Solar worker inspects modules on the firm’s manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.
First Solar Inc. has signed a grasp provide settlement (MSA) to provide 4 GW DC of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules to Silicon Ranch.
The deal, one in every of First Solar’s largest, will see Silicon Ranch’s tasks within the United States obtain modules from 2023 to 2025. Silicon Ranch will profit from the evolution of First Solar’s superior cadmium telluride (CadTel) skinny movie module expertise platform over the span of the settlement.
The corporations’ partnership started in 2015, when Silicon Ranch contracted with First Solar to provide the modules for its Aerojet Rocketdyne Solar Farm in Arkansas, the state’s first utility-scale solar undertaking. The partnership has grown considerably throughout the U.S. since then, with over 30 tasks totaling greater than 1 GW.
“Silicon Ranch’s business model of long-term asset ownership demands that we emphasize best-in-class strategic partners and requires us to consider the future in every action we take, from the modules we buy all the way through to how we manage the land we occupy,” says Reagan Farr, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “Our prospects care concerning the carbon affect of their procurement selections, and so will we at Silicon Ranch.
“We are already proving that we can sequester carbon on our sites through our regenerative energy model of land management, and this partnership with First Solar enables us to improve the carbon footprint of our module supply, while also supporting additional investment in U.S. manufacturing capabilities,” provides Farr. “We have grown our business at Silicon Ranch through our faith in the power of collaborative partnerships, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with First Solar as we accelerate our growth strategy across the country.”
Under the settlement, end-of-life CadTel modules from Silicon Ranch tasks may be processed by First Solar’s superior excessive worth recycling program, which recovers roughly 90% of CadTel materials and can be utilized to fabricate new modules, in addition to different supplies, together with aluminum, glass and laminates. Additionally, the recycled glass may be transformed into helpful glass merchandise, whereas laminates may be processed into rubber merchandise. First Solar presently operates industrial recycling amenities within the U.S., Germany, Malaysia and Vietnam.
“Since the beginning of our relationship, it has been clear that Silicon Ranch recognizes the value of taking a long-term view on procuring solar technology,” states Georges Antoun, chief industrial officer at First Solar. “Long-term module supply agreements with a trusted partner provide a vital hedge against the pricing and supply uncertainties that have impacted the solar industry over the past few years. And with First Solar’s agile contracting strategy, Silicon Ranch will have the added benefit of access to our best-in-class PV technologies as they continue to evolve.”
