First Solar establishes South African office and regional director

December 4, 2012
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Thin film manufacturer First Solar has established an operating subsidiary in Cape Town, South Africa. The move follows a recent swathe of large utility-scale PV announcements in South Africa, as part of the country’s first round of renewable energy project bidding.

First Solar has also appointed Johan Cilliers as Regional Director of Business Development for Sub-Saharan Africa to direct operations from the Cape Town office. Cilliers will report to Christopher Burghardt, Vice President of Business Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Cilliers has worked at General Electric, Siemens and Eskom in a wide range of roles including market development, sales and marketing, project development and financing.

Read Next

Premium
December 9, 2025
Rooftop solar PV generated nearly twice the output of utility-scale solar throughout November 2025, maintaining a 1.9:1 ratio in Australia.
December 9, 2025
Indian solar PV manufacturer Waaree Energies has signed a 288MWp solar module supply deal with US project developer Sabanci Renewables.
December 9, 2025
Equinor has started commercial operations at its first hybrid solar-plus-wind project in the Brazilian state of Bahia.
Sponsored
December 9, 2025
Tongwei used its Global Partner Summit to show how high-efficiency PV, digital manufacturing and biodiversity protection must advance together.
December 9, 2025
ACWA Power and Bapco Energies have signed an agreement to build a 2.8GW solar plant in Saudi Arabia, to be co-located with a BESS.
December 9, 2025
German renewables developer Blue Elephant Energy has signed two long-term power purchase agreements (PPA) with the German railway network operator Deutsche Bahn for utility-scale solar power projects.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
December 17, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA