First Solar announced the completion of the largest solar power plant in North America using thin-film photovoltaic technology.

The world’s largest thin-film solar panel manufacturer installed the 10 megawatt ground-mounted plant in less than six months.

The power plant, built near Boulder City, Nevada, will be owned and operated by Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy. The energy company has entered into an agreement to sell the new project’s entire power output to California utility Pacific Gas & Electric.

PG&E said the plant will generate enough renewable energy to serve 3,360 homes annually.

The announcement highlights the growth of thin-film solar technology relative to silicon-based solar panels, which dominate the market today. While thin-film panels accounted for only about 10 percent of the global solar PV market in 2007, the technology is expected to reach 19 percent of the market by the end of 2013, according to market research firm BCC Research.

Thin-film solar panels, which use minute amounts of semiconductor materials other than crystalline silicon, are cheaper than conventional technology and can be made with flexible substrate materials like plastics. The use of flexible substrates means thin films can be more easily integrated into buildings.

Dozens of venture-backed startups are working on improving thin-film technology in the hope of driving down costs and dethroning Tempe, Az-based First Solar. Among the startups are San Jose, Calif.-based Nanosolar and Santa Clara, Calif.-based Miasolé.

Although the Boulder City plant is the largest to use thin films in North America, European developers have built significantly larger plants. First Solar, for example, is supplying 550,000 thin-film solar modules for a 40 MW power plant in Germany.