EDF places order for up to 7 GW of U.S.-made Canadian Solar modules

Canadian Solar Inc. and EDF Renewables North America signed a multi-year module supply agreement for up to 7 GW of high efficiency N-type TOPCon solar modules to be produced at Canadian Solar’s new factory in Mesquite, Texas.

Under the agreement, Canadian Solar will be supplying its latest high efficiency N-Type TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) solar modules to support EDF Renewables’ project pipeline in the U.S. between 2024 and 2030.

Canadian Solar announced that production in its first U.S. factory was set to begin in late June. With a planned output of 20,000 modules per day, it expects annual production capacity to total 5 GW.  The facility represents a $250 million capital investment in a U.S. manufacturing facility, one of the many announcements in clean energy manufacturing over the past 10 months following the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Canadian Solar is one of the largest global suppliers of TOPCon.solar cell technology. This technology has among the highest efficiencies in the commercial PV market and has high degrees of bifaciality, absorbing and converting light from both sides of the module. Canadian Solar reports that TOPCon has conversion efficiencies of up to 22.5%, a low temperature coefficient of -0.30%/degrees C, low LID (light induced degradation) resulting in a low power degradation.

“The module supply agreement demonstrates our commitment to domestic sourcing and represents a pivotal step for EDF Renewables, enabling us to achieve key milestone dates and execute a schedule for the construction of our robust solar pipeline,” said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF Renewables North America. “We are genuinely excited about our capacity to develop and build solar projects utilizing ‘Made-in-USA’ solar modules aligning with IRA guidelines.”

EDF Renewables is a North American renewable energy developer with16 GW of wind, solar and storage projects developed and 13 GW under service contracts.