Tuesday October 03, 2006

Companies put silicon knowledge to new use in solar-cell industry

peakoil.com -> wilmingtonstar.com :

As demand for clean energy rises around the world, the nation's high-tech hub is looking to squeeze more money out of silicon. Engineers and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are taking advantage of their expertise in computer chips to design and manufacture electricity-generating solar cells that they hope will be increasingly competitive with traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas. Most solar cells and chips are made from the same raw material from which the valley gets its name. "We're in the very early stages of a long build-out in solar technology," said Erik Straser, who heads the "cleantech" practice at the Menlo Park venture capital firm Mohr Davidow Ventures. "The potential is really enormous."

Improving technology, falling costs, rising prices for fossil fuels, concerns about the electric grid's stability and worries about global warming are all raising interest in solar energy. The industry is expected to grow from $11 billion in 2005 to $51 billion in 2015, according to a projection by Clean Edge Inc. But the valley's rush to solar isn't without risk. The solar industry must first bring down costs significantly to persuade homeowners and businesses to install solar systems. The industry also faces a worldwide shortage of polysilicon created by the rapid expansion of solar. This year, for the first time, the solar industry is expected to consume more silicon than the computer chip industry.

(2006-10-03 08:19:37 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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