Thin Film Solar Power In California  

I've never really thought of thin film solar as being destined for utility scale power generation (except in the sense that it will eventually generate large amounts of power - spread over many, many devices) - but California will apparently soon have a such a project underway according to Earth2Tech.

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved what it says is the first utility-scale thin-film solar project to be built in California, in a contract between utility Southern California Edison and thin-film solar maker First Solar.

The contract is for a 7.5 megawatt solar facility, with the potential to scale up to 21 megawatts, that will be built in Blythe, California, which is right on the border of California and Arizona. According to an advice letter for the contract, the project is expected to start operating in October 2009, and Southern California Edison will buy the clean power in a 20-year deal. ...

Stock market darling First Solar uses the thin-film technology cadmium telluride to produce its thin photovoltaic panels and has been building utility-scale thin-film solar facilities in Germany, Spain, and the U.S. Some of the company’s larger utility-scale projects include a 40 megawatt project in Brandis, Germany; a 5 megawatt facility in Bullas, Spain, and a 6 megawatt project in Rote Jahne, Germany.