New Delhi, Jan 4 (Agency) American solar technology company First Solar on Thursday said that it has entered into a 15-year captive Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Cleantech Solar. Under the agreement, Cleantech Solar will construct 150 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar and 16.8 MW of wind-generating assets in Tamil Nadu supplying about 7.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean electricity to First Solar’s new 3.3-gigawatt (GW) vertically integrated solar manufacturing facility, also located in Tamil Nadu. 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. They are expected to displace almost 7,000 kilotons of CO2 emissions over the duration of the PPA. “Furthermore, Cleantech Solar has agreed to procure 150 MW of advanced, India-made Series 7 thin film solar panels from First Solar, utilizing the modules to power the solar PV component of the PPA.
The modules are expected to be delivered in the first half of 2024,” First Solar said in a statement. First Solar’s Tamil Nadu plant, located in an area of high baseline water stress, is believed to be the world’s first net-zero water withdrawal solar manufacturing facility. The facility is designed to minimize 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. “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. He further said, “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.”