GMI1982

Analyst: First Solar Reaches Grid-Parity Milestone

This article is pure marketing BS. If First Solar sold this deal for $3.17/W, it was either a loss leader or fraught with miscalculations. This would be more like be First Solar's total cost with modules at $1/W plus another $2/W+ for installation. Given the nature of the technology, FSLR has higher installation costs as many more modules are required per acre given the lower efficiency. Also, the modules are tied together using DC, and this further increases the losses. Other than a-Si, CdTe is the worst performer from an area/MW and install cost perspective.

The numbers do not appear to reflect system inefficiencies either. The calculation of Wp are at the module level, and there are significant losses at the system level as well as yearly degradation. Pacific Crest does not know how to do calculations on LCOE, that is for sure. The real LCOE needs to include land costs, O&M expense, management costs, grid connection fees, etc. If FSLR has truly reached grid parity, you'd see MANY more plants being built today...

The acreage comment is totally misleading. If you look at the original estimate for the project, it was about 8 acres/MW. See this link: www.semprageneration.c.... c-Si with a tracking system is closer to 6 acres/MW and other leading utility-scale technologies, e.g. CPV, are below 5 acres/MW.

Bottom line, in terms of grid parity, CdTe and a-Si are well behind c-Si and CPV particularly in areas of high DNI (solar irradiance) like the Nevada desert. Flat plate c-Si produce 160W/m2, CPV = 250W/m2, and a-Si is well below 100W/m2. With these kind of inefficiencies at the cell level, you cannot possibly produce systems near grid parity today...