First Solar and BELECTRIC GmbH connect three UK power plants to grid

First Solar, Inc. and BELECTRIC GmbH announced the grid connection of three utility-scale solar PV power plants in the United Kingdom.

Together, the projects, all powered by First Solar’s advanced thin film modules, will produce approximately 33,900,000kWh of electricity per year, which is sufficient to supply the energy needs of an estimated 10,200 average homes. The projects are the following:

• Tthe 14MW Marsh Solar Farm in Wiltshire, is owned by, German asset management group KGAL’s ESPF 3 renewable energy fund for institutional investors.

• The 10.5MW Weston Longville Solar Farm in Norfolk and owned by Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Partners Fund.

• The 10MW Holton Solar Farm in Suffolk owned by Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Partners Fund.

Martin Zembsch, Chief Business Development Officer of BELECTRIC, stated:

The United Kingdom is a fast growing photovoltaic market and these plants are an important demonstration of our combined ability to effectively deliver clean, reliable solar energy in the United Kingdom. The plants were completed and grid-connected on schedule and on budget, in keeping with BELECTRIC’s quality-based philosophy. We are proud to have partnered with First Solar, whose advanced thin-film modules are powering all three plants.

BELECTRIC and First Solar share a longstanding partnership that spans over a decade: the two groups entered into a joint venture in 2013 and also collaborated on the development of the 128MW Templin solar power plant in Germany, the largest deployment of First Solar modules in Europe. An estimated 80% of the 1,400MW of solar electricity generation capacity installed by BELECTRIC, is powered by First Solar modules.

Stefan Degener, Managing Director, First Solar GmbH, stated:

As the United Kingdom embraces the potential of clean and affordable solar electricity, these projects represent a new milestone in the country’s development of a sustainable solar energy portfolio. The projects also represent the latest success in First Solar’s longstanding partnership with BELECTRIC, demonstrating how our companies are capable of bringing together industry-leading capabilities and technologies to deliver reliable solar energy in virtually any market.