First Solar Inc., the U.S.-based solar panel manufacturer, plans to expand its role in the global energy industry by developing solar power farms in India, where an emerging industrial sector is looking to shore up energy security in the aftermath of record blackouts.

The company aims to secure 20 percent of India’s (more…)

First Solar and Intermolecular yesterday announced a collaboration and licensing agreement aimed at accelerating the efficiency roadmap for First Solar’s cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) technology. First Solar is the world’s largest thin film PV solar module manufacturer and the leader in thin film PV utility-scale solar power plants. (more…)

First Solar, Inc., the U.S.’s biggest solar manufacturer, will lay off 2,000 workers and close its German factory, citing what the company called fundamental changes to the industry and “deteriorating market conditions” in Europe.

The Arizona-based company, which had been the (more…)

While I was visiting my family in the Region of Lorraine – North Eastern France – I came across two distinct news illustrating the possible future of the region, and in a way, of the whole country.

The first one is about dirty polluting fossil energy as to Elixir Petroleum, an Australian company, there would be massive quantities of shale oil and gas in Lorraine’s soil. To the volumetric estimates, there (more…)

In this economic climate, every state wants new jobs. And harnessing the sun for electricity creates more of those coveted jobs per megawatt-hour than any other energy resource. These are high quality jobs across a broad range of education requirements, salary levels and fields. The majority (about 75%) (more…)

First Solar announced yesterday that it has entered into a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Power International New Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Power New Energy Development Company Limited.

Both companies will collaborate on solar energy (more…)

Plutonic Power Corporation (Plutonic) and GE Energy Financial Services (GE) recently announced that they will acquire 50 MW worth of solar generation capacity in Ontario from First Solar, Inc. (First Solar). The projects, located in the town of Amherstburg and the communities of Walpole and Belmont, will generate enough photovoltaic (PV) power to meet the needs (more…)

The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has awarded its Solar PV Project of the Year Award to Arizona’s First Solar, Inc. (First Solar), for its successful completion of the Canadian industry’s biggest solar energy installation, located in Sarnia, Ontario.

First Solar built the Sarnia installation and owns and operates it on behalf of Canada’s (more…)

Sarnia Solar Facility, deemed the world’s largest solar power station, has opened in Canada. Located in Ontario, it has a capacity of 80MW, 20MW above Olmedilla PV Park in Spain, which so far has held the title as the largest of its kind in the world. Sarnia is expected to generate 120,00MWh per year, or enough power for 12,800 homes. (more…)

Even outsiders know that the solar energy industry has experienced huge growth during the past few years. This is particularly true of 2009, where solar energy prospered in spite of a worldwide recession. In the U.S., this prosperity is largely due to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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