All You Need to Know About First Solar

Company Background

First Solar is a solar panel manufacturer that was founded in 1990 as Solar Cells by inventor Harold McMaster, and in 1993 as the Florida Corporation with JD Polk. True North Partners, LLC bought it in 1999 and rebranded it as First Solar, Inc.

Harold McMaster, an inventor, and entrepreneur, founded Glasstech Solar in 1984. After experimenting with amorphous silicon, he switched to CdTe and established Solar Cells, Inc. (SCI) in 1990.

True North Partners acquired SCI in February 1999, and the company was renamed First Solar, LLC.

The company went public in 2006 and is now traded on the NASDAQ. Its current CEO is Mark Widmar, who took over for the previous CEO, James Hughes, on July 1, 2016. The headquarters of First Solar is in Tempe, Arizona.

In 2009, First Solar was producing a whopping 1 GW of power more than any other company in the world.

The company's headquarters are in Tempe, Arizona and it has manufacturing plants located in Perrysburg, Ohio and Kulim Malaysia.

The uniqueness of First Solar is that they have a diverse range of customers with products selling all over the world which allows for them to be very versatile when working on new projects because any customer could ask for anything at any time.

First Solar established a utility systems business group in July 2010 to address the market for large-scale PV system solutions.

Utility systems are now the company's primary business focus, with a strategy to focus on markets where solar generation does not require subsidies.

On April 17, 2012, First Solar announced a global restructuring of its operations. An interesting thing to note is that during the process they phased out their operation in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and idled four production lines at Kulim, Malaysia.

As a consequence of these actions, which were criticized on market volatility and decreased demand, 30 percent of First Solar's workforce was laid off.

First Solar's CFO, Mark Widmar, stated, “We need to resize our business to a level of demand that is highly reliable and predictable.”

Mark Widmar took over as CEO of First Solar on July 1, 2016. He was previously Chief Financial Officer. Mike Ahearn, the company's founder, and former CEO is still on the board.

First Solar has traditionally sold its products to solar project developers and system integrators.

Early sales were primarily in Germany as a result of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) of 2000, which included significant incentives for solar power production under certain conditions.

With feed-in tariffs subsidies declining and becoming uncertain in European markets like Germany, France, Italy, and Spain; major PV manufacturers such as First Solar shifted to expand into other countries like the United States, India, and China.

By end of 2011, First Solar started to move away from government-subsidized markets, often considered the “old guard” in the PV industry.

This new focus on sustainable markets with immediate demand will allow First Solar to merge in the market with immediate demand.

As a result, First Solar, which was once focused on rooftops, is now competing with traditional power generators and has shifted its focus to a much larger market.

First Solar's cost per watt reached $0.98 on February 24, 2009, and continued to fall reaching a price of only $0.68 per watt in February 2013 which is a very big increase in production efficiencies.

Achievements

First Solar was the world's second-largest manufacturer of PV modules in 2010 and ranked sixth on Fast Company's list of the world's 50 most innovative companies.

In 2011, it was ranked first on Forbes' list of the 25 fastest-growing technology companies in the United States. Since the inception of this stock index in 2009, it has been listed on the Photovoltaik Global 30 Index.

In addition, the company was ranked first in Solar Power World magazine's rankings of solar contractors in 2012 and 2013.

Company's Products

First Solar uses a different type of material to make solar panels.

Instead of making traditional crystalline silicon-based ones, they use Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film technology instead which is more economical and efficient than the commonly used crystalline cells that are on our neighbors’ roofs.

The company's products were previously limited by their lower efficacy (i.e., ability to convert sunlight into electricity) compared to silicon panels, but they have made major progress in efficiency in recent years.

In fact, tests show that CdTe technology is on par with or slightly better than other types of solar cells in terms of power output.

Thin-film panels are less expensive to manufacture than silicon panels, perform better in hot and humid conditions, and perform well in low light conditions.

The company produces two lines of panels, Series 6 and Series 6 CuRe.

Series 6

First Solar launched its new Series 6 modules in 2018, with the first panels shipping in December 2017.

They are much smaller in size than conventional silicon panels, measuring 4 feet by 6 feet.

With the introduction of Series 6 panels, First Solar has improved efficiency and increased size to pump out more electricity.

The new series is rated at between 420-445 watts with a larger installation area than ever before which should hopefully lower costs for customers.

The new panels are larger modules, which means they require aluminum frames to keep the rigidity. They weigh 77 pounds each and produce 4x more energy than the Series 4 panels do.

The Series 6 and Series 6 CuRe modules, like any other manufacturer's conventional silicon panels, are strengthened to withstand wind loads and snow load requirements.

Superior temperature coefficient

The new Series 6 solar modules generate up to a whopping 8% more energy than conventional crystalline silicon ones.

They have superior temperature coefficient, spectral response, and shading behavior so that they can be used in any climate with ease.

No losses caused by LID and LeTID.

First Solar's thin-film technology is more efficient than traditional crystalline silicon modules because it does not experience the losses associated with LID and LeTID.

Anti-reflective coating

The product comes with It comes with a coated glass that not only reduces glare and reflections but also helps produce more energy.

Easy snow shedding

Series 6 is equipped with the under-mount frame (a new type of frameless module) that features both the cleaning and snow shedding benefits of its counterparts while also protecting against breakage.

Quick installation & Low hardware costs

To achieve the industry's fastest installation times and lowest mounting hardware costs, its innovative SpeedSlots™ combines the robustness of bottom mounting with the speed of top clamping while using fewer fasteners.

Optimized module-to-module connections

In order to optimize module-to-module connections, the Series 6 designers come up with a dual junction that eliminates any need for wire management.

Top-notch QA/QC

The Series 6 products were manufactured in a single building, which has 100% traceable quality assurance and control.

The design team is made up of experts from all over the world who have contributed their collective knowledge to develop this line for high-end consumers.

Independently verified

Series 6 products have been independently tested and certified to meet or exceed IEC standards in high temperature, high humidity, extreme desert, and coastal implementations.

The series is ideal for anyone seeking peace of mind in their equipment, as they can be used with confidence in even the most demanding environments without fear of power outages or breakage due to heat-related damage.

Immune & Warranted against craking

Series 6 products are the safest on the market because they won't lose power from cell cracking.

Hail protection

Series 6 solar panels are protected against hail and they have market-leading hail impact certification.

This gives people peace of mind and allows them to install the most reliable products on their own roof without worrying about damages in inclement weather or off-seasons.

Pays back fast

The product range has the fastest payback time of all counterpart products on the market.

Low carbon footprint

Series 6 products offer a life cycle carbon footprint of up to 6X lower, while water consumption is 24x times less than that of conventional c-Si cells.

Global PV Module Recycling

First Solar has the capability to recycle any of its modules that have become damaged or worn out.

It can be done either through their recycling service, which is free for all customers as well as being environmentally friendly or if you choose a third-party recycler they will offer advice on how best to go about it.

Series 6 CuRe

Series 6 CuRe includes all of the benefits of Series 6 that we discussed above. However, on a life cycle basis, Series 6 CuRe has a 2.5X lower carbon footprint and a 3X lower water footprint than monocrystalline silicon panels.

Utility-Scale PV Plants

Energy and stability are both important to large-scale solar projects. But not all modules can boast the certifications that give assurance in real-world conditions, such as First Solar’s utility-scale projects which have 10 percent more energy production than other models.

First Solar was the first solar company to receive certification from VDE Institute, a testing agency recognized for its quality and reliability.

The Quality Tested Certification assures that First Solar is of the highest standard when it comes to providing power plants with minimal risk over their lifetime.

The VDE Institute and Fraunhofer ISE have established the certification process as a benchmark that is more than 300 points in four key areas, including electrical and mechanical safety of the system; System performance through an accurate energy yield report; proper operation.

Components & Structures

First Solar engineers work with a number of partners in the industry to ensure compatibility across their technology. These include third-party mounts that are specifically designed for First Solar, such as those listed below:

Structures

Akcome
Solar Racking
Arcelor Mittal
Arctech Solar
Array Technologies
Axsus
Baja Carports
DCE Solar
FTC Solar
GameChange Solar
Ideematec
Jurchen Technology GmbH
Mounting Systems
NEXTracker
OMCO Solar
Panel Claw
Preformed Line Products
PowerWay
PV Hardware
RBI Solar
Schletter
Solar Flex Track
SOL Components
Soltec
STi Norland
Valmont
Voestalpine Sadef

Module Clamps

Akcome
ARaymond
Copper State
ModuRack

Wiring Harnesses

Amphenol Industrial
Bentek Corporation
BizLink
Connect PV
Ekinler Grup
Hewtech
Hikam America, Inc
HIS Solar
Jurchen Technology GmbH
Shoals Technologies Group
Staubli Electrical Connectors, Inc.
SUNCON

DC Combiner Boxes

ABB
Bentek Corporation
Connect PV
HIS Solar
Olson Motor & Control Co, Inc.
Shoals Technologies Group
Trinity Touch
Weidmuller

Wire Management

Burndy
Hellermann Tyton
Nine Fasteners
Wiley

Inverters

ABB
Chint Power Systems
GE
Huawei
Ingeteam
Power Electronics
Siemens
SMA
Solis Inverters
Sungrow
TMEIC

PID Solutions

Huawei
Padcon
Sungrow
Vigdu Technologies

Recycling

First Solar has three successful recycling plants around the world: one each located within America, Europe, and Asia. Their proven process achieves high recovery rates (90% according to the company's website).

It reuses as much as possible so they don't have any needlessly wasted resources or negative environmental impacts while decreasing dependence on raw materials through increased efficiency at manufacturing centers across these regions.

Customer Support Services

First Solar Customer Support Services have been recognized for their world-class quality.

With a team of licensed engineers to answer any questions, First Solar offers you the peace of mind that your solar system will be running smoothly and efficiently with all post-sales technical support handled in one place.

From installation to design consultations, they offer everything from start to finish so you can focus on making the switch towards renewable energy sources without worry about missing pieces along the way.