Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has surpassed 1GWDC of photovoltaic (PV) solar capacity shipped to India, making it the first thin-film PV module manufacturer to achieve this milestone in the country.
"We thank our customers and stakeholders in India for placing their trust in First Solar. They are benefitting from differentiated technology that has proven its superior energy yield by delivering 5-9% more energy, compared to polysilicon based modules in India for its customers over the past four years," says Sujoy Ghosh, First Solar's country head for India.
"Thin-film modules today have higher conversion efficiency and require less land per megawatt compared to poly silicon-based modules," Ghosh adds. "Our technology roadmap has us on a path to even greater conversion efficiencies, which will enable solar plants to be even more competitive against conventional energy sources."
First Solar has been present in India since 2011, and provides its CdTe thin-film modules to solar developers. The firm also self-develops utility-scale solar PV projects and, through its Indian subsidiary, has 200MWAC of projects with contracted long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) under development and operation in India.
