First Solar has announced that it has been selected by the Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company to supply 5MW of its thin film solar modules to be part of the grid-connected photovoltaic system in the Middle East.
According to the company, the photovoltaic (PV) plant is being designed and constructed by Abu Dhabi-based solar power system integrator Enviromena Power Systems. Construction has begun, and the system is expected to be commissioned and producing power by the end of the second quarter of 2009.
John Carrington, First Solar’s executive vice president of marketing and business development, said: “We are pleased that Masdar selected First Solar’s modules to supply power and to be part of Masdar City’s efforts to develop a blueprint for cities of the future.”
Earlier in October 2008 First Solar and SolarCity Corporation announced a module supply agreement and investment that would make solar power affordable for more U.S. homeowners and businesses. The two companies have entered into a five-year agreement that calls for First Solar to supply 100 megawatts of its advanced thin film solar modules to SolarCity.
Pursuant to the agreement, First Solar will begin delivering modules to SolarCity in the first quarter of 2009. First Solar will also make a $25 million equity investment in SolarCity; part of a $30 million round of financing that will fund SolarCity’s continued U.S. expansion.
First Solar manufactures solar modules with semiconductor technology and provides PV services that reduce solar electricity costs. Its power plants operate with no water, air emissions or waste stream, claims the company.