First Solar, Inc., recently announced that Energix Renewables has agreed to procure 51 gigawatts (GWDC) of its responsibly produced, ultra-low carbon thin film solar modules. The modules, which will power Energix projects in Israel, Poland, and the United States, will be delivered between 2026 and 2030. Energix, one of Israel’s largest renewable energy companies with a portfolio of more than 7 GW of projects under development in Israel, Poland and the United States, has also contracted First Solar Recycling Services to manage end-of-life handling of decommissioned modules. Prior to this deal, the company has placed over 3.5 GWDC of orders for First Solar technology since 2017.
“This deal demonstrates once again the substantial place Energix takes as one of our biggest client worldwide, and we feel honourable to take active part in Energix’s significant growth, especially in the United States. We are pleased that Energix will power its asset portfolio with First Solar’s module technology,” said Georges Antoun, chief commercial officer, First Solar. “This is another example of a large, sophisticated player choosing to de-risk its development portfolio by working with us. They recognize that they do not simply get a high-quality, high-performance, responsibly-produced PV module, but a trusted partner and long-term pricing and supply certainty, which are rarities in the solar industry.”
First Solar’s responsibly produced, advanced thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design, and environmental performance. The company’s solar modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV module today, and it’s the first PV manufacturer to have its product included in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) global registry for sustainable electronics. End-of-life modules from Energix projects will be processed by First Solar’s pioneering high value recycling program, which provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules, while also recovering other materials including aluminum, glass, and laminates.
First Solar’s differentiated thin film semiconductor, integrated manufacturing process and tightly controlled supply chain helps eliminate the risk of exposure to solar supply chains identified by the US Department of Labor’s 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor as being tainted by forced labor. The company is the only one of the world’s ten largest solar manufacturers to be a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to supporting the rights and well-being of workers and communities in the global supply chain, and the company has zero tolerance for forced labor in its manufacturing or its supply chains.
First Solar is investing approximately $1.3 billion in expanding its US manufacturing footprint from over 6.5 gigawatts (GWDC) of annual nameplate capacity currently, to approximately 10.9 GWDC by 2026. In addition to the $1.1 billion expected investment in a new 3.5 GWDC facility in Alabama, the company has also embarked on a $185 million expansion of its existing manufacturing footprint in Ohio. First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, also announced an investment of up to $370 million for a dedicated research and development (R&D) innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
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