First Solar Series 6 CuRe has Industry’s Lowest Warranted Degradation Rate - Seite 2

Mark Widmar, chief executive officer of First Solar, commented, “Series 6 CuRe represents innovation in its truest form. From engineering the atoms in the semiconductor to its ability to withstand extreme weather events such as hailstorms, and from the social license that comes built-in to being able to recycle over 90% of each module, this responsibly-produced technology is packed with innovation designed to address many of our customers’ biggest challenges.”

Series 6 CuRe builds on the success of First Solar’s Series 6 technology, the world’s only large-format thin film module. The Series 6 CuRe module technology features a -0.28%/⁰C temperature coefficient, which improves upon the existing Series 6 baseline, and a superior spectral response, allowing it to outperform c-Si in hot and humid environments. Unlike c-Si panels that can experience disproportionate power loss under shaded conditions, First Solar Series 6 modules feature a superior shading response with a linear relationship to the shaded area that minimizes shading loss.

Series 6 CuRe technology is also immune to many issues that the company believes continue to plague c-Si panels, including cell-cracking due to mishandling during installation or extreme weather events, such as high winds or hailstorms. It comes with the industry’s first and only cell-cracking warranty. It is also immune to Light Induced Degradation (LID) and Light and Elevated Temperature-Induced Degradation (LeTID) mechanisms that affect c-Si modules.

“This truly is a product that delivers more in every respect,” said Georges Antoun, First Solar’s chief commercial officer. “Series 6 CuRe is built with our customers’ needs in mind. It delivers not just more performance, but fast installation with lower structural costs, industry-leading quality, reliability, and durability, and unparalleled levels of traceability and transparency.”

Manufactured under one roof at the company’s manufacturing facilities in the United States, Malaysia, and Vietnam, the technology’s quality assurance and quality control programs offer full traceability. Series 6 CuRe also has the industry’s best environmental profile, with a carbon footprint that is 2.5-times lower than high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon, which uses energy-intensive methods to refine and produce its polysilicon semiconductor. It has a water footprint that is three times lower and an energy payback time that is twice as fast as monocrystalline silicon.