First Solar safeguards 869MW Series 6 module supply deal for Texan projects

• United States energy Vistra has chosen First Solar's Series 6 modules to power 6 new PV projects in Texas as it ramps up its renewable energy portfolio.

Under the arrangement, First Solar will provide 869MW of modules to be mounted at the utility's recently introduced solar projects, which will vary from 50MW to 200MW and be found in the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) area.

Vistra last month exposed strategies to develop nearly 1GW of solar as well as storage space in the next two years, as it terminate coal generation and seeks to attain no carbon emissions by 2050. The company and also its subsidiaries have currently decommissioned or announced the retired life of more than 19GW of generation from 23 coal as well as gas plants considering that 2010.

"We're certain that Series 6 is the right module and First Solar is the right companion to aid us provide our mission to internet absolutely no," stated Jim Burke, chief running policeman at Vistra.

Created at First Solar facilities in California and Ohio, the Series 6 module is the result of more than US$ 1 billion in research and development investment, with each system including a layer of the firm's proprietary CadTel semiconductor.

The modules, which First Solar states have a carbon footprint "up to six times lower than crystalline silicon PV panels", made their utility-scale launching last year at the 280MW California Flats project. They will likewise be made use of at solar ranches that will power Facebook and Microsoft information centres in Utah as well as Arizona, specifically.

With 1.9 GW of annualised production ability in Ohio, First Solar is the largest PV module manufacturer in the western hemisphere. The business likewise runs manufacturing centers in Vietnam and also Malaysia, with a global annual Series 6 manufacturing capacity of 5.7 GW.