First Solar: 1 Billion watts in 2009

[wpsedgwick]

Source: Green Technology Daily

First Solar Inc. announced it has manufactured and shipped more than 1 gigawatt (GW), or 1 billion watts, of its photovoltaic (PV) solar modules in 2009, becoming the first PV company to attain this production volume in a single year.

One gigawatt of solar modules produces enough electricity to serve the needs of approximately 145,000 average American homes and saves roughly 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

First Solar, which makes cadmium telluride solar cells and panels, produced only about 75 megawatts in 2007, and between 420 megawatts and 460 megawatts in 2008, according to the company's own statistics.



Read more: http://www.greentechnologydaily.com/solar-wind/543-first-solar-1-billion-watts-in-2009

[polichick]

1. So glad I invested in this company a few months ago. Great news...

...for our planet (and also for some green investors).

K&R

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, wpsedgwick.

[nc_gadfly]

3. "what the hell's a gigawatt???" nt

[grahamhgreen]

5. 1 million watts, I think.

[Silent3]

6. Nope, it's billion, not million.

1,000,000,000 watts.

[Pavulon]

7. 1 / 187 of the power consumed by the tristate

area. Even when it is cloudy. Great technology but only part of the solution.

[tclambert]

9. You've got to define tristate for those of us not from your neighborhood.

In Chicago, the tri-state area is southeast Wisconsin, northeast Illinois, and Northwest Indiana. In New York City, the tri-state area is New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In Hawaii, the tri-state area is . . . um, . . . hmm, never mind.

[Pavulon]

10. The tri state that matters..NYC area..

kidding of course.

[tclambert]

8. It's what you need to run a time machine.

Well, 1.21 gigawatts, if your flux capacitor is mounted in a DeLorean.

[Matt_in_STL]

4. Pffft....

I have no use for this until they hit 1.21 gigawatts and can transfer it to my DeLorean.

[Synicus Maximus]

11. But if you increased the speed would that reduse the number of

Gigwatts necessary?