First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) has launched its latest product line, the Series 6 photovoltaic (PV) module. This announcement, along with its outlook into 2018, boosted the company’s share price by 7%.
The Series 6 PV modules are expected to begin commercial manufacturing by early in the second quarter of 2018. Series 6 is expected to have an annualized output of 600 MWdc at full capacity.
First Solar has projected that the Series 6 PV module will enter into commercial use with a power rating of 420-445 watts and a conversion efficiency over 17%. Series 6 is expected to have more watts per lift than comparable crystalline silicon solar panels and will be able to be installed on almost any ground-based PV mounting system.
The production capacity for the Series 6 modules will be doubled. Production will occur in First Solar’s production facility in Vietnam, which is currently under construction. With the doubled production, the annualized production capacity will be 2.4 GWdc. When combined with the current production facilities, the manufacturing capacity for the Series 6 modules will reach approximately 5.4 GWdc by 2020.
The Series 6 PV module is a response to the increasingly competitive PV market and customer demand for higher efficiency modules. Series 6 modules will be able to be stack horizontally, due to their under-mount frame. This optimizes shipping density, which reduces breakage and minimizes waste. Series 6 can also deliver up to 8% more watts per connection than conventional silicon modules. There will be minimum onsite engineering with these modules, so the material cost of the solar panel is also reduced.
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