First Solar, Inc. announced on November 25th that it has started construction of a solar project in Kitakyushu-shi, Japan. Generation capacity of the project is 1.4MWDC, and it will start operating in Q1 2014. Using First Solar's advanced technology CdTe thin-film PV modules, the project will provide clean and safe solar power to Japan, mitigating idle nuclear and providing energy security.
Over 100 million First Solar modules — which integrate advanced Japanese technology — have been installed throughout the world. Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. (NSG Group), headquartered in Tokyo and one of the world's manufacturers of glass, supplies the advanced technology glass with a proprietary electrical film tuned to First Solar's CdTe thin-film modules.
First Solar holds 100 percent equity in the project. Obayashi Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo and Yaskawa Electric Corporation, headquartered in Kitakyushu — both major global construction contractors — will construct the project.