In 2006, semiconductor-equipment giant Applied Materials got into the solar-power market in a big way. At the company's headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, you can see just how big: a ceiling-mounted crane lifts a piece of glass the size of a garage door onto a table for testing. The glass sheet, covered with a thin orange film of amorphous s ilicon, is destined to become one of the world's largest solar panels.
Applied Materials developed the equipment to produce these extremely large photo voltaic panels in order to lower the price of solar power-- crucial if solar is to compete on price with fossil-fuel electricity.
Full Story from the Institute for Energy Efficiency
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