US-based manufacturer First Solar has entered a collaborative sales agreement with Turkish business Zorlu to distribute its high-performance, thin-film, photovoltaic (PV) modules across 26 countries.
Under the five-year deal, Zorlu will operate as the major distributor of First Solar’s PV modules in Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Cyprus, Kosovo, Macedonia, Georgia, Pakistan, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
In addition, Zorlu Solar will be responsible for carrying out its own project development activity and powering its solar projects with First Solar technology.
Zorlu Energy's chief executive officer (CEO) Sinan AK said: “First Solar’s leading-edge technology has made it an important contributor to the growth of Turkey’s solar energy industry.
“As a major distributor of these high-performance modules, we hope to be able to further expand First Solar’s footprint in markets that Zorlu has active interests in.”
First Solar's Europe, Turkey, and Africa business development head Stefan Degener added: “By leveraging Zorlu’s commercial strength in these countries we expect to gain access to module sales opportunities in emerging markets, some of which we have not previously targeted.”
As part of the current deal, First Solar will shift its existing business development resources in Turkey to Zorlu Solar and will shut down its present office in Istanbul.
Image: Thin-film photovoltaic solar module manufactured by First Solar. Photo: courtesy of NREL / Wikipedia.
