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  • Offer Profile
  • First Solar is the global leader in photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions.

    First Solar has developed, financed, engineered, constructed, and currently operates many of the world’s largest grid-connected PV power plants in existence. By integrating technologies, services and expertise across the entire solar value chain, First Solar delivers bankable PV energy solutions that enable a world powered by reliable and affordable solar electricity.
Product Portfolio
  • Leading the World's Sustainable Energy Future

    • Responsible Solar: First Solar proudly established the guiding principles of Responsible Solar – how it treats its employees, manages its environmental impact, and operates its business. Together, these pillars produce a responsible solar technology that reduces risk and maximizes returns with respect for people and the planet.
    • Innovative Technology: Derived from decades of leading-edge research and development, capital investment, trial and error, and defining moments, First Solar’s Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) thin film technology is a product of dedication and is advantaged against conventional silicon panels in many aspects. Designed and developed at its research and development (R&D) centers in the US, First Solar’s advanced thin film PV modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance.
    • Invested in America: Even in a relatively young industry, First Solar’s roots run deep in American soil. Born in the Midwest, headquartered in the Southwest, and shipped worldwide, First Solar is an American success story. Driven by a passion for innovation and powered by American ingenuity, First Solar has consistently invested in American manufacturing and American jobs. Today, it is the only US-headquartered company among the world’s 10 largest module producers.
      • SERIES 7

      • A High-Quality Thin Film CdTe Module Made in America, for America.

        Series 7 modules combine First Solar’s thin film cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology with a larger form factor and an innovative new back rail mounting system to deliver improved efficiency, enhanced installation velocity, and unmatched lifetime energy performance for utility-scale PV projects. Developed in close collaboration with EPCs, structure and component providers, Series 7 modules are optimized for both form and function. Series 7 TR1 is Made in America exclusively for the US utility-scale market and further enhances lifetime energy for your large-scale projects.

        • Up to 540 Watts
        • Up to 19.3% Efficiency
        • 30 Year Linear Performance Warranty
        • 0.3% Warranted Annual Degradation Rate

        Innovative Back Rail Mounting System

        The Series 7 TR1 has galvanized steel back rails and next generation mounting methods will provide easier and quicker field operations resulting in up to 20% faster installation velocity, and up to 15% lower BOS costs vs. Series 6.

        The added strength of galvanized steel allows Series 7 TR1 modules to be mounted closer to the center of rotation on a tracker, improving the mechanical efficiency of the motors and dampeners. This can significantly reduce BOS costs by enabling longer tracker rows for more watts per motor, dampener and torque tube.

        Larger Module Form Factor

        First Solar’s proprietary manufacturing process and CdTe technology allow more form factor flexibility because it is not constrained by industry standard cell or wafer sizes. Along with the added strength and rigidity of galvanized steel back rails, the 1216mm x 2300mm module design optimizes form and function without fear of power loss from cell cracking or other performance-related issues prevalent in crystalline silicon modules.

        More Lifetime Energy per Nameplate Watt

        Series 7 modules feature the industry’s best 0.3% warranty-backed annual degradation rate, and boast a superior temperature coefficient, spectral and shading response – delivering more lifetime energy per installed watt compared to leading bifacial crystalline silicon PV panels.

            • Series 7 TR1

            • A High-Quality Thin Film PV Module. Made in America, for America.

              First Solar’s Series 7 TR1 CadTel photovoltaic (PV) modules combine the technological advances of Series 6 and Series 6 Plus PV modules with a larger form factor and innovative design features to create a next generation thin film module. Series 7 TR1 has been created specifically for the US utility-scale market to speed installation and reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of your PV project. Designed and manufactured in America, Series 7 TR1 modules are truly made in America, for America.

        • Series 6

        • Higher Lifetime Energy. Lower LCOE. Superior Return.

          First Solar Series 6 and Series 6 Plus photovoltaic (PV) modules set the industry benchmark for reliable energy production, optimized design and environmental performance.

          • Up to 480 Watts
          • Up to 19.0% Efficiency
          • 30 Year Linear Performance Warranty
          • 0.3%Warranted Annual Degradation Rate
            • First Solar Series 6

            • 430 - 460 watts / up to 18.6% efficiency

              First Solar Series 6 photovoltaic (PV) modules set the industry benchmark for reliable energy production, optimized design and environmental performance. The advanced design is optimized for every stage of your application, significantly reducing balance of system, shipping, and operating costs.

              • More lifetime energy per nameplate watt
              • innovative module design
              • best in-class reliability and durability
              • best environmental profile
            • Series 6 Plus

            • 455 - 480 watts / up to 19.0% efficiency

              First Solar Series 6 Plus photovoltaic (PV) modules set the industry benchmark for reliable energy production, optimized design and environmental performance. The advanced design is optimized for every stage of your application, significantly reducing balance of system, shipping, and operating costs.

              • More Lifetime Energy per Nameplate Watt
              • Innovative Module Design
              • Best In-Class Reliability & Durability
              • Best Environmental Profile
            • Series 6 Plus Bifacial

            • 455 - 480 watts / up to 19.0% efficiency

              First Solar is once again setting the industry benchmark for reliable energy production, optimized design and environmental performance with Series 6 Plus Bifacial - the world’s first bifacial thin film CdTe module. The advanced design signficantly reduces balance of system, shipping, and operating costs while delivering more energy per nameplate watt.

              • More Lifetime Energy per Nameplate Watt
              • Innovative Module Design
              • Best In-Class Reliability & Durability
              • Best Environmental Profile
          • Ecosystem

          • Optimized for First Solar Technology

            First Solar engineers work with partners from some of the industry’s leading components and racking systems to go beyond mere compatibility. While First Solar is compatible with many third-party structures, those highlighted below are engineered to optimize First Solar technology.

            • Structures
            • Module Clamps
            • Wiring Harnesses
            • DC Combiner Boxes
            • Wire Management
            • Inverters
            • PID Solutions
              • Technology

              • First Solar utilizes an innovative thin film CadTel PV semiconductor that is advantaged against conventional silicon panels in many aspects.

                The Advantages of CadTel PV

                Technology From its inception, thin film Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) photovoltaic (PV) technology demonstrated a number of qualities that led First Solar to select it over conventional technologies, like crystalline silicon (c-Si). Qualities that included lower cost, superior scalability, and a higher theoretical efficiency limit. Over time, and with more than $1.5 billion invested in research and development, First Solar has also been able to harness other advantages that are unique to the semiconductor.

                 

                  • Energy Yield Advantages

                    • Superior Warranted Annual Degradation Rate
                      • Modules retain >89% of original performance after 30 years
                    • Superior Temperature Coefficient & Spectral Response
                      • Delivers up to 4% more annual energy in hot climates and up to an additional 4% more annual energy in high humidity conditions
                    • Superior Shading Response
                      • Less sensitive to power loss in shaded conditions
                    • Immunity to Cell-Cracking, LID & LeTID
                      • No power loss from cell-cracking and no power loss from LID or LeTID mechanisms that affect c-Si modules
                  • Environmental Advantages

                    • Upcycles mining waste tailings to create an inherently sustainable, high-efficiency photovoltaic semiconductor
                    • Lowest Carbon & Water Footprint
                      • 2.5x lower carbon footprint and 3x lower water footprint than c-Si panels on a lifecycle basis
                    • Fastest Energy Payback Time
                      • 2x faster than c-Si panels
                    • Superior Recyclability
                      • Global recycling services can recover >90% of materials for reuse
                  • Social Advantages

                    • Responsible Solar
                      • With forced labor bans and mandatory human rights due diligence legislation on the rise, customers increasingly value First Solar’s comprehensive approach to responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence.
                      • CadTel enables First Solar’s fully vertically integrated, continuous manufacturing model, which produces modules under one roof and allows for industry-leading transparency and product traceability
                      • First Solar is the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the EPEAT global registry for sustainable electronics and represents the most eco-efficient PV solution available today
                  • Strategic Advantages

                    • Energy Security/Supply Chain Continuity
                      • Reduced dependence on China’s crystalline silicon supply chains
                    • Rapid Scaling
                      • Vertically integrated manufacturing process enables the construction and operation of new factories in as little as 18 months, addressing the urgency of the climate crisis
                  • Potential for the Future

                  • Thin film CadTel technology has come a long way over the past two decades, but its full potential has not yet been realized. Research and product development teams at First Solar forecast a thin film CadTel entitlement of 25% cell efficiency by 2025 and pathways to 28% cell efficiency by 2030.

                    Additionally, First Solar is a member of the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium (CTAC), administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and funded by the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. CTAC is designed to support efforts to enhance US technology leadership and competitiveness in CadTel photovoltaics.

                  • First Solar – The Leader in Thin Film PV

                  • Working in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), researchers from First Solar have steadily set and broken numerous world records for CadTel cell efficiency and made other significant performance improvements over the past two decades.

                    In late 2020, First Solar’s thin film CadTel PV technology reached a milestone after 25 years of continuously monitored performance testing, becoming the longest-running research project at NREL’s Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) in Golden, Colorado. Out of all the photovoltaic technologies and manufacturers represented at the OTF, First Solar is the only one that is still in business today.