By using high performance computing to process these large data models, First Solar is able to continue innovating in advanced technologies that lower electric costs, increase energy yield and provide stable and reliable grid integration. Through First Solar’s research and development, their large-scale solar farms can deliver energy to utilities at prices that are lower than fossil fuels.
With more than 13.5 gigawatts sold worldwide, enough to power more than 2 million homes, First Solar is a globar leader in photovoltaic solar energy solutions. The performance of
semiconductor devices such as solar cells depends strongly on the properties of materials used in their fabrication. Deep understanding of these properties and the ability to tune them is
critical for the development of new generations of advanced photovoltaics and electronics. First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of thin-film solar panels, is using AweSim resources from the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), to predict and optimize semiconductor properties in crystalline
structures such as cadmium telluride (CdTe). Although the efficiency of commercial CdTe photovoltaic material has grown dramatically in recent years, the advances in performance and stability of CdTe devices are achieved mostly through costly experimentation and process development while lacking theoretical guidance.
Through First Solar’s research and development, their large-scale solar farms can deliver energy to utilities at prices that are lower than fossil fuels.
Published in 2016
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