Renewable energy development is growing at impressive rates in Australia. In particular, if you’ve heard of Bill Bryson’s popular book, “In a Sunburned Country,” it’s no stretch to imagine the potential for solar generation in Australia.  Solar energy is the most abundant of Australia’s natural resources, and should be playing a much larger role in Australia’s energy mix.

For over 40 years, Earth Day – April 22^nd – has inspired individuals and organizations to consider their environmental impact and commit to sustainability actions.   

The same GPS technology that increasingly triangulates our lives is helping scientists study the pronghorn antelope that roam the Carrizo Plain near the 3,500-acre Topaz Solar Farms project, currently under construction in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

Local municipal utilities can play an important role in increasing solar PV’s share in the electricity mix. In Germany, local utilities are proving to be the engine behind the energy transition towards renewables.

There is substantial historical precedent, even historical momentum, for subsidizing solar energy deployment. Not a single form of electricity generation – be it coal, oil, hydro, natural gas, or nuclear – failed to receive significant government support, especially during early deployment. These have taken the form of:

First Solar’s technical article titled “Life Cycle Water Usage in CdTe Photovoltaics” has been published in the IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, a leading international scientific journal. The paper was written by First Solar’s Parikhit Sinha and Amy Meader along with SmartGreenScan’s Mariska de Wild-Scholten.  The article documents First Solar’s water footprint over the life cycle of a cadmium telluride photovoltaics (CdTe PV) installation.  While energy security and climate change have been important drivers for renewable energy adoption, water security provides an additional driver.  For example in the United States, thermoelectric power plants have recently accounted for over 40% of total freshwater withdrawals from all sectors, even more than for agriculture.  This energy-water nexus associated with traditional energy sources can be a potential concern, particularly in water-stressed regions.  Because solar PV uses little to no water during operation, it provides a promising path forward for addressing the energy-water nexus.

Although Interstate 10 passes right by Desert Center, population 200, most travelers do just that—pass by. But now, once again, outside forces are changing Desert Center. The area’s abundant sunshine and nearby transmission lines have attracted solar power project developers, including the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight Solar Farm being built by First Solar. As part of its commitment to support local communities, First Solar has dedicated a $350,000 fund to ensure Desert Center residents share in the economic benefits from the project.

The sight of a massive, utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant under construction can be awe inspiring, with millions of shimmering glass panels lined up, row after row, across swaths of wide-open desert. While the clean technology on display may be visually dramatic and a testament to solar power’s coming of age, consider the personnel situation. The tradespeople and the professional and administrative staff hired to put these installations together are working on types of projects that have, until recently, never been built before. Matching the capabilities, experience and temperament of prospective employees with the unique requirements of these first-of-their-kind construction projects is the purview of CLP Resources, one of First Solar’s staffing partners.

First Solar is helping to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by offering an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels.  With over 6 GW installed worldwide, First Solar has displaced around 4 million tons of CO₂e emissions, the equivalent of powering approximately 3 million homes per year, based on world averages.  For First Solar, providing a clean energy solution is not enough; we also strive to manage the carbon impacts resulting from our own operations and activities.

First Solar has donated 130 kilowatts of its advanced thin-film photovoltaic solar panels to Kandahar University in Afghanistan to support the university's program of energy independence. Solar power will displace expensive diesel-fired generation for the campus. Here is a news story from Afghanistan with details: