Monday (Aug. 19) U.S. vertically integrated PV company First Solar announced a new collaboration with Australia’s Ingenero, a solar installer and developer there. Under the agreement the two will work together on commercial projects in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, using Ingenero’s design and integration resources and First Solar’s thin-film PV.

Ingenero offers a number of services, including residential and commercial solar installations. For instance, the company installed Australia’s largest rooftop solar array, a 1.2 megawatt installation, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. And it is closing in on installing solar on 10,000 roofs. The company also offers residential solar leases in Australia.

“This year we made the leap into the international solar market, building a complex hybrid off-grid solar power plant on the island of Vava’u, Tonga. These kinds of off-grid applications, as well as commercial and utility scale applications, hold significant growth opportunities internationally,” McRae said. “Partnering with a company of this caliber means Ingenero will continue to grow its commercial and utility solar business within Australia and broaden its international footprint while continuing to deliver high quality, innovative solar solutions to its existing and future customer base.”

“Today we celebrate another milestone in our company’s short but dynamic history. A collaboration agreement with First Solar and the opportunity to utilize its thin-film PV module technology brings with it the increased capability and flexibility needed to be successful in a growing market,” said Ingenero CEO, Steve McRae.

First Solar is also installing the Greenough River Solar Farm, the largest current project in Australia. “The collaboration will combine the best of both company’s capabilities to increase the number of ground-mounted solar projects in Australia,” Ingenero said. “First Solar and Ingenero will also jointly target diesel fuel replacement opportunities in Australia’s off-grid sector, reducing operating costs for mining companies and providing an alternative source of power generation for communities throughout regional Australia and the Pacific Islands.”

“In collaborating with Ingenero…First Solar is better positioning itself to meet the needs of the commercial and off-grid solar markets in Australia and Asia Pacific,” said Jack Curtis, First Solar’s Asia Pacific vice president of Business Development and Sales said. “First Solar’s primary focus has been utility-scale projects.…This collaboration will provide us with additional origination and execution diversity in medium-scale projects that will allow us to broaden our accessible demand pool across the region and meet the needs of customers that are looking to utilize our thin-film PV module technology in these types of applications,” he said.