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Press Release
VDE Testing and
Certification Institute
VDEincooperationwithFraunhoferISEawardsFirstSolarwithThinFilmPVIndustry’s
First“QualityTested”Certification

Certificatemarksnewageofriskreduction,qualityandsafetyforsolarplantassets

Plant‐level”bankabilitycertificationreducesriskforPVpowerplantinvestors

50MWthinfilmPVpowerplantinNewMexicoisfirsttomeetextensivesafetyand
performancerequirementsofVDEandFraunhoferISE
LASVEGAS—SOLARPOWERINTERNATIONAL—October22,2014—TodayVDETestingand
Certification Institute (VDE), a globally recognized premium certification body, in conjunction
with partner Fraunhofer ISE, a world leading applied solar research institute, announced the
issuanceofVDEQuality Tested(QT) CertificationtoFirstSolar,Inc.foritsdesign,engineering
and construction of the Macho Springs 50MW (AC) power plant located in Luna County, New
Mexico.The plant,whichwentintocommercialoperationin May of2014,utilizesFirstSolar’s
thin film module and balance of system technology. A first for the industry, the successful QT
certification of the complete PV plant marks the implementation of a strategic alliance to
enhancetechnicalbankability.
“TheVDEQualityTestedCertificationsetsFirstSolarapart,astheyhavenowpassedthemost
rigorous quality assurance requirements at the PV plant/system level, thereby assuring a
significant reduction of technical risk for the financial performance of First Solar systems.
Certification of the Macho Springs facility documents that First Solar leads the industry in
technical bankability at the PV power plant/system level.” said John Sedgwick, President VDE
Americas.
“FirstSolariscommittedtoprovidinghighestqualityandthelowestriskproductsandsystems
in the solar industry. We have implemented rigorous, world‐class quality assurance processes
throughout our operations,” said Azmat Siddiqi, Senior Vice President Quality & Reliability at
First Solar. “We are honored to be recognized by VDE for our relentless pursuit of high
performanceproductsandinstalledsystems.”
HolisticPVPlantCertificationHeraldsNewAgeofRiskReduction,QualityandSafety
Foryears,certificationofPVplantsubcomponentsaccordingtointernationalstandards(such
as IEC standards for PV modules and inverters) have been the basis for establishing technical
bankabilityofPVplants.Leadingtheindustry,theVDEQTCertificationofMachoSpringsverifies
Press Release
VDE Testing and
Certification Institute
the plant as a bankable solar asset and affirms that independent experts have validated every
stepfrominitialdesignthroughtoinstallationandoperation.
“WiththeVDEQualityTestedcertificate,VDEandFraunhoferISEstrivetosetanewbenchmark
intheglobalindustryforPVpowerplantqualityandreliabilityassurance,leadingtogreaterrisk
reduction.Weverifynotonlythequalityofindividualplantcomponents,butalsothesafetyand
performance of the overall system”, said Burkhard Holder, Head of Energy and Smart
TechnologiesatVDEInstituteGermany.“Suchacomprehensiveapproach,includingbothfield
andlabtesting,leadstoasignificantlyhigherleveloftechnicalbankabilityandriskreductionfor
PVpowerplantinvestorsandfinancialentities.”
Highlighting the stringent, comprehensive level of quality assurance that the VDE QT
Certification signifies, it was designed to deliver significant advantages in four key areas:
electricalandmechanicalsafetyofthesystem;systemperformance‐throughahighlyaccurate
energy yield report; proper system operation; and independent verification for investors,
lenders,insurancecompaniesandotherstakeholders.TheVDEQTCertificationiscomposedof
comprehensivedesignreview,sophisticatedmodelingandmorethan300testingpointswhich
mustbepassedinordertoachievetheVDEQualityTestedMarkofcertification.
“Independent quality Assurance for PV systems has played an important role ever since the
earliest days of PV deployment,” commented Klaus Kiefer, Head of Quality Assurance PV
Modules and Power Plants at Fraunhofer ISE. “We are very pleased to add our long‐term
expertiseinpreciseperformanceevaluationasanintegralpartoftheVDEQTcertification.Our
teamworkedcloselywithbothVDEandFirstSolarstafftoapplyourexperienceandknowledge
toassurethemaximumqualityandperformanceattheMachoSpringsfacility.”
“Thiscertificationbringsmorethan30yearsand38GWofGermanPVexperiencetotheUSfor
the highest level of quality and superior confidence that the asset will provide long term
financial returns,” according to Mr. Sedgwick. “The awarding of VDE QT Certification to the
Macho Springs facility highlights the importance of professional certification procedures to
ensurethehighestplantqualityandtechnicalbankability.TheMachoSpringsplantrepresents
thecaliberofassetthattheindustryhasbeenworkingtowards—anindependently‐verifiedhigh
quality PV plant that is providing power at prices competitive with traditional non‐renewable
baseloadpower.”
VDE Testing and
Certification Institute
Press Release
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AboutVDEAmericas:
VDE Americas is a wholly owned subsidiary of theVDE Testing and Certification
Institute,Germany.ThenewsubsidiaryislocatedinSiliconValleyandwillserviceVDEmarkets
andcustomersinNorth,SouthandLatinAmerica.VDEAmericasisstaffedbyhighlyexperienced
solarindustryprofessionals.Thesubsidiarywillserveasthehubforinitialsales,marketingand
technicalserviceprovisionintotheAmericasregions.
AboutVDEInstitute:
The VDE Testing and Certification Instituteis a significant part of theVDE Association for
Electrical, Electronic and Information Technology, which is one of the largest technical and
scientific associations inEuropewith more than 35,000 members.The VDE Instituteis an
independent institution which is responsible for testing and certifying the safety and
performance of electronic devices, components and systems for the consumer and the general
publicusingthehigheststandardsofquality.Cooperationagreementsinmorethan50countries
ensure that the inspections of theVDE Instituteare internationally recognized. Millions of
electricalproductsworldwidecarryVDEcertificationmarks.www.vde.com
AboutFraunhoferISE:
With a staff of 1300, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is the largest solar
energy research institute in Europe. Fraunhofer ISE is committed to promoting energy supply
systems which are sustainable, economic, safe and socially just, thereby advancing the
transformation of our energy system and the shift to renewables. To this end, the institute
develops materials, components, systems and processes for energy efficiency, energy
conversion, energy distribution and energy storage. Fraunhofer ISE has a wide range of
expertiseandmanyyearsofexperienceinthefieldsofenergyefficientbuildings,photovoltaics,
solar thermal technology, hydrogen and fuel cell technology as well as smart grids and power
electronics through to sustainable mobility and storage technologies. Energy system analyses
and accredited test centers complete the range of services for the energy
sector.www.ise.fraunhofer.de
AboutFirstSolar,Inc.
FirstSolarisaleadingglobalproviderofcomprehensivephotovoltaic(PV)solarsystemswhich
use its advanced module and system technology. The company's integrated power plant
solutionsdeliveraneconomicallyattractivealternativetofossil‐fuelelectricitygenerationtoday.
Fromrawmaterialsourcingthroughend‐of‐lifemodulerecycling,FirstSolar'srenewableenergy
systemsprotectandenhancetheenvironment.www.firstsolar.com
VDEAmericas
BenNoble
ben@missionC2.com
or
VDEInstitute,Germany
ManyaBringiDev
Manya.Dev@vde.com
Press Release
or
FraunhoferISE
KarinSchneider
HeadofPressandPublicRelations
Phone:+497614588‐5150
karin.schneider@ise.fraunhofer.de
VDE Testing and
Certification Institute