CHINA SOLAR MOGUL TALKS SUN

Solar leader sees bright future; Founder of Chinese company that is world’s leading maker of silicon photovoltaic panels says the technology is close to grid parity.
David L. Chandler, December 10, 2010 (MIT News)

"Zhengrong Shi, an engineer turned entrepreneur, has become one of China’s richest citizens by betting heavily on the future of solar power…[He] believes solar energy will, by the end of the century, produce more than two-thirds of the world’s electricity.

"Shi grew up in China but spent a decade in Australia pursuing his education and beginning his work in solar cell production. In 2000, he returned to his homeland and began setting up factories…to produce solar panels at a lower cost than companies elsewhere…At the time, China had a negligible presence in the solar business, but now, thanks in large part to Shi’s pioneering work, it dominates the world’s solar industry."

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"Shi’s company, Suntech, is the clear leader. Except for one year during the economic downturn, the company’s output of solar panels has doubled annually, while production costs and sales prices continue to decline…Already, he said, for many locations (such as Italy) the panels his company produces can generate electricity at “grid parity,” meaning the cost is competitive with that from standard (primarily fossil-fuel) sources. Given present trends, the ever-falling prices should bring other locations, including Hawaii, California and Japan, to grid parity within the next five years, he said…

"Shi, who has a doctorate in electrical engineering, described several technological approaches that he expects will help to drive up efficiency while lowering costs, including the incorporation of a layer of plasmonic nanostructures — which can help to distribute light so that more of it enters the solar cell and less gets scattered away — bonded onto the front of a silicon solar cell…"

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"…[Suntech] is exploring a variety of approaches to lowering costs…[by] increasing the efficiency of the panels…[and lowering] the time needed for installation…This year, the company has produced about 3 gigawatts’ (GW) worth of solar panels, and Shi said he expects to produce more than 5 GW next year…

"As a step toward what he sees as an electric power system that eventually will be dominated by solar, he suggests that hybrid systems — large solar installations paired with conventional fossil-fuel powerplants — could help to bridge the gap, providing steady power by switching to the fossil fuel whenever the sun doesn’t shine or the demand is too large…"