The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global | Fast Company

The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global

FAST COMPANY  By: Chris Turner  4 Dec 08 At a time of economic pain and planetary peril, a renewable global powerhouse takes shape. Just when we need it most.A new global industry is taking shape before our eyes. A journey through this energy revolution suggests that the age of truly ubiquitous solar may at last have begun. Solar’s emerging titans are scattered across three continents and three technological generations — from established crystalline PV manufacturers in California to newer “thin film” cells now reaching mass-production scale in Germany and to even third-generation compounds being developed in Australia that can be integrated into building materials to deliver power in the darkest shade. Even in this time of enormous financial uncertainty (not to mention a deepening concern, if not panic, about the health of the planet), the sense of boundless potential, the promise of The Graph, is palpable. Erik Straser, who oversees the clean-energy portfolio at Mohr Davidow Ventures in Silicon Valley, puts it this way: “Sometimes I ask myself, ‘If this company was successful, would people name libraries and public high schools after it?’ Who made the steam engine? Who made the lightbulb? Who will those people be for the 21st century? Who’s the person that made mass-market solar affordable?” A global industry is taking shape, with the hottest spots in Silicon Valley, Germany, and Australia. The age of truly ubiquitous solar may at last have begun.

The Solar Industry Gains Ground – And Goes Global | Fast Company

December 4, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY