First Solar has deployed the Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation in Lake Township, Ohio. It includes a high-tech pilot production line for the production of full-scale prototypes of thin-film and tandem PV modules.
American thin-film solar panel manufacturer First Solar has launched a new R&D innovation center in Lake Township, Ohio. The company said it is the largest facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
The Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation is dedicated to the late James “Jim” F. Nolan, a former member of First Solar’s board of directors and the architect of the company’s cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor platform.
According to a study by the US National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), CdTe will account for approximately 16% of the US solar market in 2023. First Solar is a leader in the field of CdTe technology and distinguishes itself not only by its use of thin-film PV technology. , but also through the vertically integrated production process, domestic production and the commitment to responsible solar energy. At the company’s California Technology Center (CTC) in Santa Clara, First Solar recently achieved a 23.1% efficient CdTe cell, a new world record certified by NREL.
“Thin films are the next technology battleground for the solar industry as they are critical to commercializing tandem devices, which are expected to be the next disruption in photovoltaics,” said Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar . “While the United States leads the world in thin-film PV, China is racing to close the innovation gap. We expect this critical investment in R&D infrastructure will help sustain our nation’s strategic advantage in thin film, accelerating the innovation cycles necessary to ensure America’s next disruptive, transformative solar technology will be made.”
The new research facility includes a high-tech pilot production line for the production of full-scale prototypes of thin-film and tandem PV modules. Before operating the Jim Nolan Center, First Solar used a production line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, facility for product development efforts. With a dedicated R&D center, First Solar expects to “accelerate innovation cycles.”
The company stated that it will invest approximately half a billion dollars in R&D, creating approximately 300 new jobs by 2025, primarily at the Jim Nolan Center.
First Solar is also involved in the development of perovskite solar energy after announcing last year its acquisition of Evolar, a Swedish perovskite specialist. First Solar said in a statement that the acquisition will accelerate the development of next-generation PV technology, including high-efficiency tandem devices. The aim is to integrate Evolar’s know-how with its existing research and development streams, intellectual property portfolio and expertise in developing and commercially scaling up thin-film PV.
In addition to the planned R&D at the Jim Nolan Center, the company also expects to commission a perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus in the second half of 2024.
First Solar has invested nearly $2 billion in R&D and operates laboratories in Santa Clara, California, Perrysburg, Ohio and Uppsala, Sweden.
At the end of 2023, First Solar had an annual global production capacity of 16.6 GW and is expected to reach a capacity of more than 25 GW by 2026. First Solar expects to commission new manufacturing facilities in Alabama in the second half of 2024 and in Louisiana in the second half of 2024. half by 2025, bringing total U.S. nameplate capacity to 14 GW by 2026.
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