Locke has appointed Bruce Sohn, President of First Solar, the largest manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules in the world, to head the group. First Solar is based in Tempe, Arizona and has manufacturing plants in Germany, Malaysia, and Perrysburg, Ohio.

According to market Watch, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the project’s 25-year PPA with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) on June 3, and construction of the plant is slated to begin this calendar year. The agreement with PG&E was central to First Solar constructing the plant because the utility delivers electricity to much of California north of Los Angeles.

In order to pull out of the solar energy development business, Edison Mission Group (EMG) had to sell of a string of projects already under way. Thin-film industry darling First Solar (FSLR), the integrator with whom EMG had been working, bought the whole set for an undisclosed number. Stocks have suffered a bit in the [...]