First Solar has struck a deal with Cleantech Solar to supply its new thin-film solar module factory in India with renewable energy.
Under a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) Cleantech Solar will construct 150MW of solar and 17MW of wind capacity in Tamil Nadu, supplying approximately 7.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity to First Solar’s 3.3GW factory in the state.
When fully commissioned by the third quarter of 2024, the solar and wind generation assets are expected to provide up to 70% of the facility’s anticipated electricity needs.
Furthermore, Cleantech Solar has agreed to procure 150MW of India-made Series 7 thin-film solar panels from First Solar, using the modules to power the solar component of the PPA.
The modules are expected to be delivered in the first half of 2024.
“Our new manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu sets a high benchmark for responsible and sustainable vertically integrated solar manufacturing, not just in India, but globally,” said Sujoy Ghosh, vice president and managing director, First Solar, India.
“By powering our operations with clean, renewably-generated electricity, we are working to further reduce our environmental footprint, which is already the lowest in the industry.”
First Solar’s Tamil Nadu plant, located in an area of high baseline water stress, is designed to minimise its impact on local water resources and will rely entirely on tertiary treated reverse osmosis water from the city’s sewage treatment plant and have zero wastewater discharge.
Additionally, the factory is home to a solar recycling plant using closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules, while also recovering other materials including aluminium, glass and laminates.
The agreement is believed to be one of the largest intra-state PPAs in India and the projects being developed across Cleantech Solar’s renewable energy parks in Tamil Nadu are already providing solar, wind and hybrid energy solutions to its corporate customers.
With this latest agreement, Cleantech Solar’s total portfolio size in Tamil Nadu now stands at nearly 500MW across operations and construction stages and includes solar, wind and hybrid power projects.