The Operations & Maintenance group of 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, now has 5GW of assets in its portfolio of solar power plants, establishing it as the world's largest solar O&M provider, it is reckoned.
First Solar Energy Services, which has held the top position on GTM Research's 'Global O&M and Asset Management' report for the past two years, surpasses the next nearest O&M provider by about 1.8GW.
"Our customers have entrusted us to make sure they get the most out of their investments," says First Solar Energy Services' vice president Troy Lauterbach. "We help them minimize risk and maximize the value of their renewable energy assets."
First Solar Energy Services has grown alongside the solar industry over the past half-decade. In 2009, the fledgling O&M group commenced operation of the 21MW Blythe Solar Project in California, which was then the world's largest PV plant. The group now operates and maintains solar power plants for owners in 10 countries, including some of the largest PV power plants in the world.
First Solar Operations Centers (FSOC) are located in Tempe, AZ, USA, Sydney, Australia, and Berlin, Germany. The firm says that its flagship Tempe FSOC is frequently visited by grid operators, regulators and energy industry experts from around the world seeking demonstrations of its operations technology and capabilities.
