NISKAYUNA - The rows of gleaming blue panels tilted toward the sun atop the GE Global Research labs will become outmoded if solar research conducted here and around the country succeeds.
General Electric Co. and a dozen other companies are starting work under a federal program to make solar power cost-competitive by 2015 - a feat that has taken on new urgency as gasoline prices hover above $3 a gallon. Among the products being assessed here are “thin film” solar cells that can be applied on glass, metal or flexible plastic.
While the technology has shown early promise, GE will see if it can help create a durable commercial product.
“They've been technically proven to work in the lab, but there's a certain amount of skepticism in the field, mostly from customers, that they're going to last a good 20 or 30 years,” said Danielle Merfeld, who leads solar research here at the company's lab near GE's Schenectady birthplace.
Promises about the “dawn” of widespread solar power have been made since the '70s, but progress in the United States has been slow. Power from solar panels can cost around 20 to 30 cents a kilowatt hour to produce, while the electricity flowing to your house's wall outlet averages around 10 cents a kilowatt hour.
Solar has been on a growth spurt in recent years, but it still accounts for far less than 1 percent of U.S. generation.
It's simply cheaper to rely on coal.
Looking to boost the paltry production levels, the federal Department of Energy announced in March that it would grant up to $168 million over the next three years to help fund development projects under its Solar America Initiative.
Thin film is just one of the technologies being looked at under the plan.
Proponents say thin film is cheaper per watt than standard silicon panels. Many types of thin films do not even use silicon, an attraction right now as a shortage of polysilicon is driving up the price of standard solar panels. Analysts see the shortage lasting through next year.
“We're thin film bulls,” said analyst Jesse Pichel of Piper Jaffray.
While the technology has shown early promise, GE will see if it can help create a durable commercial product.
“They've been technically proven to work in the lab, but there's a certain amount of skepticism in the field, mostly from customers, that they're going to last a good 20 or 30 years,” said Danielle Merfeld, who leads solar research here at the company's lab near GE's Schenectady birthplace.
Promises about the “dawn” of widespread solar power have been made since the '70s, but progress in the United States has been slow. Power from solar panels can cost around 20 to 30 cents a kilowatt hour to produce, while the electricity flowing to your house's wall outlet averages around 10 cents a kilowatt hour.
Solar has been on a growth spurt in recent years, but it still accounts for far less than 1 percent of U.S. generation.
It's simply cheaper to rely on coal.
Looking to boost the paltry production levels, the federal Department of Energy announced in March that it would grant up to $168 million over the next three years to help fund development projects under its Solar America Initiative.
Thin film is just one of the technologies being looked at under the plan.
Proponents say thin film is cheaper per watt than standard silicon panels. Many types of thin films do not even use silicon, an attraction right now as a shortage of polysilicon is driving up the price of standard solar panels. Analysts see the shortage lasting through next year.
“We're thin film bulls,” said analyst Jesse Pichel of Piper Jaffray.
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