Earth Equity News

Solar Firm Announces $1-a-Watt 'Industry Milestone'. By James Kantor, NYTimes, February 24, 2009. "The solar photovoltaic industry has plenty of supporters, but wider uptake of the technology has long been hampered by cost. High costs have not just prevented consumers and companies plastering more homes and offices with solar cells. They also have bolstered the claim that large quantities of fossil fuels and nuclear power will be necessary in the future in part because solar panels do not provide value for money. On Tuesday, First Solar, a global photovoltaic panel maker based in Tempe, Arizona, said it had reached an 'industry milestone' by reducing its production costs to less than $1/watt. In a statement First Solar, which has produced modules for solar installations in several countries in Europe, said it had brought costs down to $1 from $3 over the past four years through economies of scale by increasing its production capacity by 50 times, and by passing-on those savings to customers and consumers. First Solar's chief executive, Mike Ahearn, tipped his hat to countries like Germany that have offered generous tariffs to producers of solar electricity."