First Solar, the manufacturer of photovoltaic, thin-film solar panels, announced today that it has launched a new, solar power plant operations center in Mesa, Arizona.
The firm said the new center will help centralize monitoring and control of power plants owned by its customers. First Solar said it currently operates 14 plants with a total of 360 megawatts of peak generating capacity, with plans to expand to 23 plants and 850MW of capacity by the end of the year, and 27 plants and 2200 MW of capacity in 2013.
The firm said the center collects and processes key performance and operational parameters, and dispatches maintenance crews to resolve any issues detected.