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    1. Energy Efficiency

    First Solar Inaugurates 3.3 GW Sustainable PV Manufacturing Facility in India

    Jan. 16, 2024
    The facility – representing an investment of nearly $700 million – uses 50% less energy and only one-third of the water compared to polysilicon module production facilities
    First Solar
    65a6ebfa6b6b73001e09eb9e First Solar

    First Solar, Inc. inaugurated its new photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India. The facility is considered the country’s first fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing plant.

    “We are pleased that First Solar chose Tamil Nadu for this landmark investment, solidifying our state’s position as India’s hub for manufacturing,” said Dr. T R B Rajaa, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Industries, Promotions, and Commerce. “This factory sets a high bar for sustainability and advanced manufacturing and has created high-value jobs as a result of its presence in our state, all while supporting India’s ambition to become self-sufficient in solar technology.”

    The facility will produce First Solar’s Series 7 PV solar modules at a nameplate capacity of 3.3 GW and directly employ approximately 1,000 people. The facility also features tellurium-based semiconductors, which allow the company to reduce its dependence on Chinese crystalline silicon supply chains.

    The Series 7 module represents the company’s most eco-efficient module featuring a carbon and water footprint that is approximately four times lower than crystalline silicon solar panels.

    The company’s sustainable manufacturing approach also uses 50% less energy and only one-third of the water compared to polysilicon module production facilities.

    The facility itself is located in an area of high baseline water stress, allowing the facility to rely entirely on tertiary-treated reverse osmosis water from the city’s sewage treatment plant while having zero wastewater discharge.

    Additionally, the factory is home to India’s first solar PV recycling plant, which provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules while also recovering other crucial materials, such as aluminum, glass, and laminates.

    The facility – representing an investment of nearly $700 million – is First Solar’s sixth operational factory and stands to expand the company’s global manufacturing footprint to four countries, including the US, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

    First Solar expects to have 25 GW of global nameplate capacity by 2026.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.