This new venture will support the recently announced goal of the [...]]]> EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) and First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) recently announced a venture to build France’s largest solar panel manufacturing plant. With an initial annual capacity of more than 100MWp, the plant will produce solar panels made with First Solar’s advanced, thin-film photovoltaic technology.

This new venture will support the recently announced goal of the French government to become a leader in sustainable energy technologies including solar electricity.

At full production, projected for the second half of 2011, the plant will employ more than 300 people.

Under the terms of the arrangement, First Solar will build and operate the plant in France. The plant represents an expected investment of more than EUR 90 million. The initial annualized capacity of the plant is expected to exceed 100MWp, making it the largest manufacturing facility for solar panels in France. EDF Energies Nouvelles has agreed to finance half of the capital expense and plant start-up costs and will benefit from the plant’s entire output for the first 10 years. First Solar and EDF EN intend to announce their decision on the site location within the next few months.

The investment decision was announced in the presence of French Sustainable Development Minister Jean-Louis Borloo. “I salute the decision of EDF Energies Nouvelles and First Solar to invest and create jobs in France’s solar sector, which has begun to take off since the Grenelle de l’Environnement,” he said. “This investment represents a veritable turning point for the photovoltaic industry and confirms that France is more than ever in a position to play a leading role globally.”

Pâris Mouratoglou, Chairman of the Board of EDF Energies Nouvelles, said, “This agreement represents a key milestone in the strategy of our group, which has the ambition to be a global leader in solar energy.” The company successfully raised EUR 500 million last year to finance its expansion in the photovoltaic sector. It has set itself a target of installing 500MWp in photovoltaic capacity for its own account by 2012.

“Securing a competitive supply is essential for us to participate in the development of a large French solar market,” he said.

“We have successfully built a number of projects with First Solar panels. This strategic agreement is the result of a relationship built on trust and offers our two groups solid and promising potential,” he said.

Mike Ahearn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Solar, said,

The decision to invest in France reflects our firm belief in the French market and its great potential. It represents a vote of confidence in the policies being developed by the French government since the Grenelle de l’Environnement to promote renewable energies and allow solar electricity to compete economically with other forms of energy.

“This decision by First Solar and EDF EN is a sign of our shared commitment to the future of solar electricity,” Mr. Ahearn said. “We commend President Nicolas Sarkozy’s leadership in promoting long-term policies to build a more sustainable energy future not just for France but the world. Countries that create market frameworks that enable solar and other renewable energies to achieve commercial scale will reap the greatest benefits in private sector investment, technological innovation and job creation.” The long-term commitments of the French Government to provide the policy and regulatory frameworks that enable robust solar markets and of EDF EN to invest in developing and expanding the French market were key factors in our decision to invest in France, he said.

First Solar’s manufacturing site will also include a facility for recycling solar panels, France’s first such facility and Europe’s only solar panel recycling plant outside of Germany.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) is changing the way the world is powered by creating truly sustainable solar energy solutions. First Solar manufactures solar panels with an advanced semiconductor technology and provides comprehensive photovoltaic system solutions. By constantly lowering manufacturing costs, First Solar is creating an affordable and environmentally responsible alternative to fossil-fuel generation. First Solar set the benchmark for environmentally responsible product life cycle management by introducing the industry’s first prefunded, comprehensive collection and recycling program for solar panels. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life collection and recycling, First Solar is focused on creating cost-effective renewable energy solutions that protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com, or www.firstsolar.com/media to download photos.

The two partners are to pool their expertise in this [...]]]> JUSUNG, one of the world’s leading suppliers of equipment for semi-conductor and thin-film technology manufacturers, and CEA LITEN (the Laboratory for Innovation in New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials) have signed a Joint Development agreement for a two-year project to develop high-efficiency silicon solar cells (>20% efficiency).

The two partners are to pool their expertise in this technology: JUSUNG will contribute its experience in developing equipment specially designed for thin-film technology for solar cells and large-area LCDs, while CEA LITEN will bring its expertise in photovoltaic solar cells, micro- and nanotechnology and in nanomaterials. The aim of the partnership is to speed up development in the solar energy sector thanks to high productivity and improved cost control.

 Worth a total investment of around 7 million euros, this agreement will enable CEA LITEN and JUSUNG to rapidly develop and transfer to industry a new technology based on the concept of heterojunction* for the production of solar cells boasting efficiency of over 20 %. A new facility will shortly be developed at the INES (France’s National Solar Energy Institute), in the Savoie region, where CEA LITEN has brought together all its teams involved in research and development in the area of solar energy.

Yeong Gon Lee, Executive Vice-President of JUSUNG, stressed the importance of this partnership between his company and a European technology research center such as CEA, while Didier Marsacq, Director of CEA LITEN, spoke of the advantages of joining forces with an equipment manufacturer to speed up progress in research on high-efficiency silicon solar cells.

Since 2004, LITEN has been carrying out research on improving the efficiency of silicon photovoltaic cells. Its work has mainly focused on optimizing production processes used for solar cells made with multi-crystalline silicon and, more recently, on the introduction of new concepts based on micro- and nanotechnologies. This laboratory, which develops strong links with industry, boasts cutting-edge semi-industrial production facilities to rapidly transfer the technologies and processes developed.

Thanks to this research, CEA LITEN has built up expertise in developing solar cells with efficiency of approximately 17 % to 18 %, depending on the properties of the silicon used.

*Heterojunction : the use of 2 semiconductor materials (crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon) to obtain higher conversion efficiency for photovoltaic cells. Heterojunction requires more advanced and specialized technological development than homojunction. The latter, more conventional, technique is used to produce the photovoltaic effect by combining two surfaces made of the same material.