Lighsource bp has ordered 4 GW of US-made thin-film solar panels, adding to the 4.3 GW it has ordered in 2021. Silicon Ranch, meanwhile, expanded its master supply agreement with First Solar, which includes the 4 GW deal announced in April. 2022.
Lightsource bp has agreed to buy 4 GW of First Solar’s thin film electric modules. Delivery is expected to take place in 2026-2028.
The order adds to the 4.3 GW purchase made in 2021. The deal includes Series 6 Plus and Series 7 solar modules. The modules are designed and developed at First Solar’s research centers in Ohio and California.
“We are seizing the opportunity by not only growing our 20 GW development pipeline to the US, but also by creating significant demand for our US partner First Solar, which in turn is investing in innovation and manufacturing, supporting thousands of direct and indirect American jobs,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of Lightsource bp .
As part of the supply agreement, Lightsource bp is also committed to using First Solar’s module recycling program. The company is a market leader in solar recycling and operates a program that provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules, while also recovering other materials such as aluminum, glass and laminates.
In addition, First Solar is the first solar power manufacturer whose product is included Electronic product environmental assessment tool (EPEAT) global registry of sustainable electronics.
“This is another major commitment from Lightsource bp and a demonstration of their confidence in First Solar and our technology,” said Georges Antoun, Chief Commercial Officer of First Solar. “Our relationship with Lightsource bp is a growth partnership. We enable their growth with certainty through long-term pricing and delivery commitments and advanced technology, while they enable us by providing the certainty of demand we need when investing in manufacturing.”
First Solar is expanding its manufacturing capacity throughout the United States to meet this demand. The company estimates it will start up a third plant in Ohio in the first half of 2023, and a fourth plant in Alabama is currently under construction and expected to start up in 2025. The plants will produce Series 7 modules.
Separately, Silicon Ranch — a Nashville-based independent power producer — said this week it had acquired an additional 1.5 GW of advanced U.S.-made thin-film solar modules from First Solar. The deal expands on the master supply agreement between the two solar companies, which includes the 4 GW deal announced in April 2022 and the recently announced 700 MW commitment in October 2022. Previous contracts supply Silicon Ranch projects until 2025, a follow-on order of 1.5 GW will serve projects in 2026 and 2027.
