Over 1 GW of solar panels were sold by First Solar in 2009
A manufacturing milestone in the solar industry was reached last week! The publicly-held U.S. company, First Solar Inc., announced that it manufactured and shipped more than 1 gigawatts (GW) of its PV solar modules in 2009. Its the first solar manufacturing company to reach this production volume in a single year.
In a short two years, the company achieved a significant leap in production from approximately 75 megawatts (MW) in 2007, to its 1 GW milestone this year. To put this in perspective, 1 gigawatt is the equivalent of 1000 megawatts.
First Solar is the largest manufacturer of thin-film solar cells in the world, and the second largest manufacturer of photovoltaic solar modules – the familiar solar panels you’ll see on homes and buildings.
First Solar states that its solar modules are produced at $0.98/watt, which broke another barrier in February this year (dropping below $1 per watt). According to Wikipedia, the company must continue to reduce price per watt by 6.5% per year and it plans to be competitive on an unsubsidized basis with retail electricity next year.
Regarding the 1 GW production milestone, First Solar’s president, Bruce Sohn observed:
“This proof that the solar industry can achieve the manufacturing scale necessary to fight climate change is especially timely in light of the Copenhagen conference that began last week. Our efforts in scaling our technology are critical to creating a more sustainable energy infrastructure and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Since First Solar began full operation of its line in 2004, it has expanded its manufacturing capacity by an astounding 2,500%, all the while it was reducing manufacturing costs at a rapid pace.
What will 2010 bring? If the past is any indication, First Solar’s prediction of grid-parity next year is a safe bet.
Tags: first solar, photovoltaic solar modules, pv solar modules, solar manufacturing, solar manufacturing milestone
Wikipedia numbers will be tough to beat, but this is an amazing jump forward. First Solar getting it done, they may be a German company but they are based in my home state of Arizona. Making us proud!
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