First Solar commissioned the Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation in Lake Township, Ohio. It features a high-tech pilot manufacturing line to provide full-size prototypes of thin-film and tandem PV modules.
From pv journal USA
US thin-film photo voltaic module producer First Solar has commissioned a brand new analysis and growth (R&D) innovation middle in Lake Township, Ohio. The firm says it’s the largest facility of its sort within the Western Hemisphere.
The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation is devoted to the late James “Jim” F. Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s board of administrators and the architect of the corporate’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor platform.
According to a research by the US National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), CdTe will signify about 16% of the US photo voltaic market in 2023. First Solar is a pacesetter in CdTe expertise and distinguishes itself not solely by utilizing skinny movie expertise, but additionally by way of its vertically built-in manufacturing course of, home manufacturing and dedication to accountable photo voltaic. At the corporate’s California Technology Center (CTC) in Santa Clara, First Solar just lately achieved a 23.1% environment friendly CdTe cell, a brand new world document licensed by NREL.
“Thin movies are the subsequent technological battleground for the photo voltaic trade as a result of they’re the important thing to the commercialization of tandem gadgets, that are anticipated to be the subsequent disruption in photovoltaics,” mentioned Mark Widmar, chief govt officer of First Solar. “While the United States leads the world in skinny movie PV, China is racing to shut the innovation hole. We anticipate this important funding in R&D infrastructure to assist preserve our nation’s strategic benefit in skinny movie, which is accelerating the innovation cycles crucial to make sure that the subsequent disruptive, transformative photo voltaic expertise can be American-made.
The new analysis facility features a high-tech pilot manufacturing line for the manufacturing of full-sized prototypes of thin-film and tandem PV modules. Prior to the commissioning of the Jim Nolan Center, First Solar used the manufacturing line on the Perrysburg, Ohio facility for product growth efforts. With a devoted R&D middle, First Solar says it expects to “speed up innovation cycles.”
The firm said that it’ll make investments virtually half a billion {dollars} in R&D, which is able to create about 300 new jobs by 2025, primarily on the Jim Nolan Center.
First Solar can be concerned in perovskite photo voltaic growth after asserting the acquisition final 12 months of Evolar, a Swedish perovskite specialist. First Solar mentioned in an announcement that the acquisition will speed up the event of next-generation PV expertise, together with high-efficiency tandem gadgets. It goals to mix Evolar’s data with its current analysis and growth streams, mental property portfolio, and experience within the growth and business scaling of thin-film PV.
In addition to the R&D deliberate on the Jim Nolan Center, the corporate additionally hopes to fee a perovskite growth line at its campus in Perrysburg, Ohio, within the second half of 2024.
First Solar has invested practically $2 billion in R&D and operates laboratories in Santa Clara, California, Perrysburg, Ohio, and Uppsala, Sweden.
By the top of 2023 First Solar may have 16.6 GW of annual international nameplate producing capability and is predicted to achieve over 25 GW of capability by 2026. First Solar expects to fee new services in manufacturing in Alabama within the second half of 2024 and Louisiana within the second half of 2025, bringing whole US nameplate capability to 14 GW by 2026.
This content material is protected by copyright and might not be reused. If you need to cooperate with us and need to reuse a few of our content material, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content material
