Solar May Get Cheaper
SolFocus' concentrator photovoltaics will cost half that of competing solar PV technologies
Red Herring, February 16, 2006
The Palo Alto Research Center is partnering with solar company SolFocus to produce its cheaper concentrator photovoltaic technology. The technology includes small lenses and curved mirrors that concentrate sunlight onto solar cells. The cells use germanium instead of the most common material, silicon.
While the high-efficiency material is expensive, SolFocus’ system uses so little of the germanium—1 square centimeter per panel—that the company is able to cut the installed price of solar in half, compared to the average price today, and still make a healthy margin.
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