EDP Renewables Order 1.8 GW of First Solar Modules

First Solar and EDP Renewables (EDPR) have announced a multi-year order for 1.8 GWdc of First Solar’s advanced thin film PV solar modules. The modules will be delivered up to 2028 and will power US projects developed by EDP Renewables North America.

EDP Renewables currently operates 475 MW of solar projects in USA, has 1.6 GW of solar capacity under construction, and has a robust solar development pipeline across the continent. In addition, EDPR operates more than 200 distributed generation solar sites throughout North America.

Including both utility-scale and distributed generation, EDPR plans to add 4.8 GW of solar capacity in North America in 2023-2026.

Sandhya Ganapathy, chief executive officer, EDPR NA, said, “EDPR ambitious business plan calls for more than 4 GW of renewable capacity annually through 2026 with nearly half of the new clean energy generation to come from North America.”

The advanced thin film PV modules of First Solar set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance. The module maker said that its the only one of the world’s ten largest solar manufacturers to be a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA).

First Solar said that the modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV module today and the company is the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) global registry for sustainable electronics.

“We welcome EDPR decision to power its projects with our technology and look forward to supporting its growth in the US and, potentially, beyond,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar. “This validates the value that our customers place in our differentiation, not just in technology but our way of doing business.”

With this strategic agreement, EDPR de-risks its solar pipeline in the US by securing equipment for its expected growth in the utility and distributed generation segments. Additionally, this allows EDPR to increase its commitment to local content in the US.

Expansion Spree

First Solar said that it is expanding its US manufacturing footprint, which currently stands at more than 5 GW from three operating factories in Ohio. The company is expected to reach more than 10 GW by 2025, when it completes its new $1.1 billion factory in Alabama and a $185 million expansion of its existing capacity in Ohio.

Additionally, the firm is expected to commission its first factory in India in the second half of 2023, adding 3.4 GW of new nameplate annual capacity.

Recently, global solar developer Lightsource bp placed an order for 4 GW of advanced thin film solar modules with First Solar. The modules are scheduled to be delivered between 2026 and 2028 for the Lightsource bp projects in the US.