Trade.Information

Product Name: Solar thin film PV modules

Product Description

First Solar\'s thin film PV modules represent a cost-effective and efficient solution for high performance PV power plants.

First Solar manufactures solar modules with an advanced thin film semiconductor technology and provides comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solutions that significantly reduce solar electricity costs. Learn more about First Solar products and technologies through the links below.

Product Overview :

First Solar PV modules are manufactured on high throughput, automated lines that integrate each production step, from semiconductor deposition to final assembly and test, in one continuous process. This advanced manufacturing process transforms a piece of glass into a complete solar module in less than 2.5 hours.

• Advanced thin film design produces high energy yield across a wide range of climatic conditions with excellent low light response and temperature response coefficient
• First Solar PV modules are proven to perform as predicted with a high Performance Ratio
• First Solar monitors a significant portion of its installed modules in customer applications through independent, third-party data collection services to verify predicted energy output is realized
• Frameless laminate is robust, cost effective and recyclable
• Manufactured in highly automated state-of-the-art facilities certified to ISO9001:2000 quality and ISO14001:2004 environmental management standards
• Tested by leading US and European institutes and certified for reliability and safety:

   

  • Safety Class II
  • IEC 61646
  • IEC 61730
  • CE Mark
  • UL 1703

System Design :

First Solar works closely with customers to optimize system designs throughout the entire product lifecycle.

First Solar’s deep customer relationships enable project stakeholders to obtain the highest system efficiencies and economics in each system utilizing First Solar PV Modules. The System Design Application (SDA) process executed with our customers assures that First Solar PV Modules are installed in a manner which promotes safety, reliability, optimized performance and predictable energy yield over the life of the system.  Each approved SDA specifies the:
 

• Physical Location and Orientation
• Module Mounting Structure
• Electrical System Design
• Balance of System (BoS) Equipment
• Approved Operating Conditions

In addition, working in close contact with customers enables First Solar to monitor and analyze module performance across a substantial installed base of power plants in various climates. Performance data is regularly collected through independent, third-party sources. This information is then used to validate predicted system performance, contributing data for continuous improvement efforts.

Technology :

First Solar has broken down the barriers to producing high performance thin film solar modules in volume, making solar electricity an affordable alternative to fossil fuel-generated electricity.

Multiple years of high volume production and power plant operating experience demonstrate First Solar\'s efficiencies, high energy yields, low production costs and excellent system performance ratios. Today, First Solar’s module production facilities are achieving high levels of module efficiency and factory throughput that have required many years of production experience and continuous improvement to attain. First Solar\'s \'Copy Smart\' plant replication process has enabled First Solar to repeatedly and predictably expand manufacturing operations worldwide, allowing large scale expansion of module production.

This success is, to a significant extent, attributable to the unique physical properties of the semiconductor material which make it ideal for converting solar energy into useful electricity.

• CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) is a direct bandgap semiconductor, which enables it to convert solar energy into electricity more efficiently (i.e., more watts per kg of material) than the indirect bandgap semiconductor materials used historically.
  The energy bandgap of the semiconductor material, at 1.45ev, enables it to convert more energy from the solar spectrum than the lower energy bandgap materials (1.20ev) used historically. As a result, it is capable of converting solar energy into electricity at an efficiency level comparable to historical technologies, but uses only about 1-2% of the semiconductor material required by traditional PV technologies.
• CdTe will generally produce more electricity under real world conditions than solar modules with comparable power ratings.
  Solar cells become less efficient at converting solar energy into electricity as their cell temperatures increase. However, the efficiency of this semiconductor material is less susceptible to cell temperature increases than traditional semiconductors, enabling First Solar thin film modules to generate relatively more electricity under high ambient (and therefore high cell) temperatures. The semiconductor material also converts low and diffuse light to electricity more efficiently than conventional cells under cloudy weather and dawn and dusk conditions. As a result, First Solar thin film modules will generally produce more electricity under real world conditions than conventional solar modules with similar power ratings.
• CdTe permits simple device structures and manufacturing processes, leading to low cost production.
  High performance modules are achieved with single junction, polycrystalline devices. Automated high throughput production processes have been employed successfully, without the need for expensive clean rooms or other specialty equipment.
• Abundant semiconductor materials to support high volume production and demand.
  This stable, inert semiconductor is made from cadmium and tellurium. Both elements are byproducts of the mining and production of base metals such as zinc and copper. These materials are present in abundant quantities to support multi-GWs of annual production.

These attributes have led the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado to recognize CdTe\'s potential for achieving the lowest production costs among current thin film technologies. (Photon International, November 2004, page 50). As a result, future module costs well below $1.00/Wp have been predicted by NREL and others.

Product Lifecycle :

Product Design :

Key Product Design Features

• Front (Substrate) and Back (Cover) Glass
  Laminated glass sheets are heat-strengthened to withstand handling and thermally induced stresses, while avoiding breakage over the 25+ year module life.
• Semiconductor
  CdTe compound semiconductor material forms the active photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity.
• Laminate Material
  Used to bond the cover glass to the substrate, sealing the photovoltaic device from the environment.

Production :

Clean Air:

A self-contained manufacturing environment assures that air is cleaned before being released into the environment. All areas employing semiconductor materials and other metals are filtered with HEPA filters. These processes are monitored and tested to assure that the air is clean and well below regulated standards.

Water Treatment:

The residual water from the manufacturing process is treated and filtered through multiple processes in order to remove solid wastes. It is then returned to the local municipal system or the environment as clean water. Water quality is routinely tested, monitored and documented by First Solar.

Solid Waste Collection:

Module manufacturing scrap is centrally collected and processed for recycling. Virtually all module component waste is extracted and purified through a series of processes. The components are then recycled or held for recycling into new products.

Verification of Safety and Efficacy:

Factory employees undergo routine medical testing to assure and document the safety of the manufacturing environment. Independent environmental and legal audits are conducted on a regular basis to assure and document the safety and efficacy of the First Solar manufacturing process.

Company Details

First Solar Inc. designs and manufactures solar modules using a proprietary thin film semiconductor technology that is one of the lowest cost in the world. Our objective is to reduce the cost of solar electricity to levels that compete on a... more