Capital power signs 1GW thin film supply deal with First Solar

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Sheep graze under First Solar modules at a Lightsource bp solar farm. image: Lightsource bp

Canadian-headquartered power producer Capital Power has signed a supply agreement with US thin film solar module manufacturer First Solar in the first cooperation between the two companies.

The deal will see Capital Power receive 1GW worth of First Solar’s cadmium telluride Series 6 Plus modules between 2026-28 for deployment at its North American projects. Its current US pipeline totals almost 2.4GWdc.

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“We are excited to partner with First Solar and its responsibly produced ultra-low carbon solar technology, which supports our solar development pipeline,” said Chris Kopecky, senior vice president and chief legal, development and commercial officer at Capital Power.

“First Solar’s longstanding investment in domestic supply chains ensures the use of high-quality American solar technology, including products made with significant amounts of domestically sourced content, to power our projects.”

The US Department of Treasury released guidance on the domestic content tax adders included in the IRA’s investment tax credit (ITC) in May, which will initially require 40% of the total value of a solar module to be produced in the US to qualify for an extra 10% credit.

First Solar is one of the dominant US module manufacturers, and it said that its supply chains eliminate the risks of forced labor and material procurement that other manufacturers have to contend with.

The company said that it is planning to expand its nameplate capacity to 10.9GW by 2026 with expansions in Alabama and its home state of Ohio.

“Capital Power joins a growing group of project developers that partner with First Solar as a reliable module technology provider that can help de-risk their project pipelines by delivering long-term pricing and supply certainty,” said Georges Antoun, chief commercial officer at First Solar.

In April, First Solar announced that its module capacity was all sold through 2026 and its backlog had surpassed 70GW. This is unsurprising given the number of supply deals that the company has signed.

This year alone, a 1.5GW signing in February brought the partnership between First Solar and independent power producer (IPP) Silicon Ranch to 6.2GW through 2027; Lightsource bp inked a 4GW deal for First Solar’s modules from 2026-28; solar developer Origis Energy signed for delivery of 2GW of modules in 2026-27 and Portuguese developer EDP Renewables bought 1.8GW through 2028.

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