Thin-Film Solar Demand to be Strong in 2016, Slow in 2017

7 November 2014—First Solar (Tempe, Ariz., USA), the world’s largest producer of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules and systems, announced yesterday in its third-quarter earnings call that an anticipated reduction of U.S. investment tax credits for solar power in late 2016 will create a strong demand over the next two years, but warned of the likelihood of a subsequent slow down in 2017.

To capture the anticipated robust demand, the company announced plans to restart idle production lines at its production facility in Malaysia, and add new lines at its plant in Perrysburg, Ohio, USA. The increase will add 460 megawatts of capacity in 2015 to its current capacity of 1.85 GW, amounting to an increase of 46 percent.

The company also announced recent improvements to its cadmium-telluride PV modules from an average of 14.6 percent conversion efficiency on the production line of its highest efficiency modules in October to 15.9 percent in recent modules produced in “significant volume.”