Solar Cell Investments to be on Par with with Semiconductor Investments by 2010
Source/Type: Reported News

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

June 23, 2008... iSuppli Corp, a market research firm, has predicted that worldwide investments in all photovoltaic cell production (including silicon) will rise to the same level as the worldwide investment in semiconductor manufacturing by the year 2010. According to iSupply, global production of PV cells is expected to rise to as much as 12 Gigawatts (GW) by 2010. This would be up from 3.5GW in 2007, the company said. iSuppli predicted that by 2010, as many as 400 production lines in the world that can produce at least 1 Megawatt (MW) of PV cells per year will be in place. iSuppli says that this represents a four-fold increase from about 90 to 100 production lines in 2007. The company also indicated that that factories capable of 1GW of annual PV production also will be established in the future.

“The market for PV cells is estimated to grow by 40 percent annually until 2010, and 20 percent beyond,” said Dr. Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst, MEMS and photovoltaics, for iSuppli. “Nearly all market participants plan to increase their sales by a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 40 to 50 percent during the next few years.” The company further predicts that the cost of electricity from photovoltaic cells and the cost of electricity derived from the electrical grid will reach parity beginning in 2012. Company News Release

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