GE shook up the solar market Thursday by announcing plans to develop a line of thin-film solar panels using the cadmium-telluride material that has given First Solar its market lead.
GE said it would rely on cadmuim teluride technology from PrimeStar Solar, in which it hold a majority share
The manufacturing giant said its products would benefit from the cost advantage thin-film has maintained over the traditional polysilicon used by many Chinese makers. Panels are expected in the market by 2011.
The company said it is working with PrimeStar Solar, a cadmium telluride start-up in which it holds a majority ownership.
GE’s return to solar – it at one time produced crystalline silicon cells – appears to have been delayed a year by the global downturn. But its commitment to thin film appeared strong, despite recent industry skepticism that thin film will be able to keep up with polysilicon cells, which continue to make efficiency improvements.
Some polysilicon manufacturers now boast of laboratory cells operating at 19 percent efficiencies and greater compared with the 11 percent or so from thin film.
“After having competed an exhaustive survey of the PV landscape, we determined that thin films were the optimum path for GE,” said the company’s solar R&D leader Danielle Merfeld. The company’s product development will take place in Colorado, New York, China and India.
GE intends to market to utilities rather than consumers.
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Solar is the way to go. We’ll never run out of daylight
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