First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA and Ingenero Pty Ltd of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia have announced a new collaboration arrangement to provide a joint offering to the commercial and off-grid solar markets. The partnership will combine Ingenero's design, development and integration experience with First Solar's cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module technology and track record in utility-scale projects to meet market requirements within Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
Ingenero has an established footprint in the commercial and off-grid space, having constructed Australia's largest rooftop solar PV system at the University of Queensland in Brisbane and a number of ground-mounted solar PV systems in Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Pacific Islands. First Solar has international experience in constructing utility-scale solar projects, including Australia's first utility-scale solar farm (Greenough River) and has established a local supply chain in Australia. The collaboration aims to combine both company's capabilities to increase the number of ground-mounted solar projects in Australia. First Solar and Ingenero will also jointly target diesel fuel replacement opportunities in Australia's off-grid sector, reducing operating costs for mining companies and providing an alternative source of power generation for communities throughout regional Australia and the Pacific Islands.
"A collaboration agreement with First Solar and the opportunity to utilize its thin-film PV module technology brings with it the increased capability and flexibility needed to be successful in a growing market," comments Ingenero's CEO Steve McRae. "This year we made the leap into the international solar market, building a complex hybrid off-grid solar power plant on the island of Vava'u, Tonga. These kinds of off-grid applications, as well as commercial and utility scale applications, hold significant growth opportunities internationally," he adds. "Partnering with a company of this calibre means Ingenero will continue to grow its commercial and utility solar business within Australia and broaden its international footprint," McRae continues.
First Solar's Asia Pacific VP of business development & sales, Jack Curtis, said the new partnership will leverage the synergies between the two businesses. "In collaborating with Ingenero, Australia's leading integrator in the small- to medium-scale solar sector, First Solar is better positioning itself to meet the needs of the commercial and off-grid solar markets in Australia and Asia Pacific," he adds. "First Solar's primary focus has been utility-scale projects, and we continue to be the world leader in this market segment. This collaboration will provide us with additional origination and execution diversity in medium-scale projects that will allow us to broaden our accessible demand pool across the region and meet the needs of customers that are looking to utilize our thin-film PV module technology in these types of applications."
