March 23, 2015
Technical Delegation Visits U.S. Solar Installation and High Tech Operations Center
TEMPE, Ariz., March 23, 2015 - Seeking a practical understanding of how US solar power plants connect and communicate with state utilities and the national power grid, representatives from CDEC-SIC and CDEC-SING visited renewable energy facilities in the southwest United States operated by industry leader First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) early in March.
The two Chilean power grid system operators visited First Solar's 290MW Agua Caliente Solar Project and the company's primary Operations Center in Arizona for a review of operating methodologies, grid integration, communications protocols and practical lessons learned by the global solar industry leader.
At Agua Caliente, located near Yuma in southern Arizona, the group toured the 2,400-acre site, which was constructed by First Solar and is owned by NRG Energy. One of the largest photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the world, Agua Caliente entered commercial service in mid-2014, and is operated and maintained by First Solar. The Chilean delegation's main interest was to observe the inner workings of communications protocols used by First Solar, as output from the power plant is fed to the grid and distributed by the regional electric utility.
The group also met with First Solar executives for a visit to the First Solar Operations Center, which is the company's central control room for managing plant output, power demand predictions, weather conditions and other variables related maintaining grid reliability.
"This visit allowed engineers to observe in person how we apply tools to monitor and manage power plant operations," said Rodrigo Garcia Palma, First Solar's Director of Government and Public Affairs for Latin America. "We were able to highlight our industry-leading capabilities in coordination of communications between energy trading companies and the CAISO (equivalent to CDEC-SIC and CDEC-SING)." Garcia pointed out that this capability is critical in assuring solar power is supplied reliably, and at the times it is needed to meet demand.
Garcia said the visit helped the system operators understand how they can best work with solar providers in Chile to integrate the growing renewable energy technology, and benefit from First Solar 's technology to provide voltage control, as a contribution to the grid's stability.
The delegation included Ricardo Pacheco Mella, Chief of Dispatch and Control; Jorge Vargas Cáceres, Chief of Operations; and Javier Urbina Fuentes, Planning and Operations Engineer from CDEC-SIC, and CDEC-SING representatives Raú Moreno T., Subdirector of Operations; Patricio Valenzuela V., Chief of Operations; and Operations Engineer Sebastián Campos.
About First Solar, Inc.
First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems which use its advanced module and system technology. The company's integrated power plant solutions deliver an economically attractive alternative to fossil-fuel electricity generation today. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling, First Solar's renewable energy systems protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com.
For First Solar Investors
This release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements, among other things, concerning: our business strategy, including anticipated trends and developments in and management plans for our business and the markets in which we operate; future financial results, operating results, revenues, gross margin, operating expenses, products, projected costs, warranties, solar module efficiency and balance of systems ("BoS") cost reduction roadmaps, restructuring, product reliability and capital expenditures; our ability to continue to reduce the cost per watt of our solar modules; our ability to reduce the costs to construct photovoltaic ("PV") solar power systems; research and development programs and our ability to improve the conversion efficiency of our solar modules; sales and marketing initiatives; and competition. These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of words such as "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "intend," "believe," "forecast," "foresee," "likely," "may," "should," "goal," "target," "might," "will," "could," "predict," "continue" and the negative or plural of these words and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the matters discussed in Item 1A: "Risk Factors," of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other reports filed with the SEC.
Contacts
First Solar Media
Steve Krum
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Carmen Paz Rodríguez
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