KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP) and the Technology Application and Advancement Group (TAAG) present:
“The Path to Grid Parity for Solar Energy: The Role of CdTe Thin Film PV”
Speaker: Mr. Raffi Garabedian, Chief Technology Officer of First Solar
TODAY Monday, September 17 at 11:00 am
Level 0 Auditorium between Al Jazri Building and Al Kindi Building (buildings 4 and 5)
Open to the entire KAUST community, Mr. Garabedian will speak about the journey that First Solar took to commercialize the CdTe Technology to become the world’s largest thin film module manufacturer and a leader in low cost photovoltaic (PV) module production. Mr. Garabedian will discuss the status in R&D in the area of CdTe PV technology and the path forward to maintain a competitive edge for the CdTe technology a major player in photovoltaic technologies.
Founded in 1999, First Solar has become the world’s premier provider of fully integrated solar solutions, creating value-driven renewable energy projects that represent the leading edge of utility-scale solar technology and innovation, with over 6 GW of modules produced thus far.
Having constructed and commissioned many of the world’s largest, state-of-the-art photovoltaic power plants in operation today, First Solar has established a portfolio of customers that include some of the world’s most sophisticated energy buyers.
About the speaker:
Raffi Garabedian joined First Solar in 2008 as Director of Disruptive Technologies, and was promoted to Vice President of Advanced Technologies in 2010, overseeing the company’s advanced research and development operations in Santa Clara, California, and was promoted to Chief Technology Officer in May 2012. Prior to joining First Solar, he was founder and CEO of Touchdown Technologies, a semiconductor test equipment company. Prior to that, he worked in the semiconductor and microelectromechanical systems industries for over 15 years. Mr. Garabedian earned a BSEE degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic University and an MSEE degree from the University of California at Davis.