Cost to Produce Solar Cells Brought Below $1 per Watt

By Chris de Morsella on March 15, 2009 2 Comments $1 per watt, advanced semiconductor technology, environmentally responsible, First Solar, fossil fuels, grid parity, Inc., Mike Ahearn, renewable electricity, renewable energy, solar cell manufacture, solar electricity, solar modules, solar photovoltaic, solar PV, sustainable energy

Earlier this month, First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced that it has reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter 2009 to 98 cents per watt, becoming the first solar cell manufacturing company to break the $1 per watt price barrier. This is a major price milestone for the solar photovoltaic manufacturing sector and represents a significant step towards achieving what is known in the industry as as grid parity, the price level where the per watt cost for solar electricity reaches the current averaged cost of electricity on the grid a goal First Solar plans to reach by 2012.