First Solar awarded 241MW module supply contract for Edify Energy solar projects in Australia

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has been awarded a 241MWDC module supply contract by RCR Tomlinson Ltd as engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contractor for Edify Energy’s Daydream (180.7MWDC) and Hayman (60.2MWDC) solar projects in Queensland, Australia. The contract takes First Solar’s delivery pipeline to over 500MW in the next 12 months, cementing it as the leading module supplier for large-scale solar in Australia, the firm claims.

Located across two sites north of Collinsville, the projects will utilize optimized technology that includes single-axis tracking technology from Array Technologies Inc, and more than 2,026,565 First Solar modules. On completion, the projects will produce about 531,000 megawatt-hours per year (serving the needs of about 73,000 average Queensland homes), which is enough energy to displace 429,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year combined (equivalent to taking about 115,000 cars off the road).

First Solar says that the Series 4 modules chosen for the projects are suited to the hot and humid environmental conditions of the Whitsunday Region, due to a superior temperature coefficient, as well as better shading and spectral response.

“First Solar’s unique energy yield advantage enables our solar projects in North Queensland to produce more energy per MW installed than other available PV technology,” comments Edify Energy’s chief executive John Cole. “This is of significant importance for asset owners and operators looking to maximize energy production,” he adds.

Construction on the projects is scheduled to begin in Q3/2017, with module delivery in Q4/2017 and Q1/2018.