Origis Energy has ordered 750MW of solar modules from thin film manufacturer First Solar, bringing the total quantity of modules Origis has procured from the company to 1.5GW.
The deal will see Miami, Florida-headquartered Origis benefit from any advances in technology through to 2024, when First Solar’s Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) thin film modules will be delivered to its projects across the United States.
“This 750MW solar agreement builds on a long-term alliance between the First Solar and Origis teams,” said Samir Verstyn, chief investment officer and operations officer at Origis Energy.
Verstyn said Origis’ operations had been “put to the test by the unprecedented headwinds impacting the solar industry” that have made it even more important to “work with market partners who have consistently delivered”.
Moreover, Verstyn applauded “First Solar’s build out of its domestic PV solar manufacturing capacity”.
First Solar is investing US$680 million in expanding its PV solar manufacturing capacity in the US by 3.3GW annually through building its third US manufacturing facility in Lake Township, Ohio, which it has recently secured a stable steel supply for.
The new facility is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2023 and, when fully operational, will scale the company’s Northwest Ohio footprint to a total annual capacity of 6GW.
In addition to its Ohio manufacturing facilities, First Solar also operates factories in Vietnam and Malaysia, and is building a new 3.3GW factory in India that is expected to be commissioned in H2 2023.
The company anticipates that its nameplate manufacturing capacity will double to 16GW by 2024.
Elsewhere, First Solar is in late-stage discussions with US residential solar installer SunPower to develop the “world’s most advanced residential solar panel”.