Solar’s time still on horizon
The rapid growth of solar power over the past four years has taken it from essentially an energy geek’s hobby to a full-blown industry, the president of one of the world’s leading manufacturers of solar panels said Thursday (Feb. 3). Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar, which makes thin-film photovoltaic panels, said that solar energy technology was formerly embraced mainly by two groups: dedicated environmentalists and hobbyists who are drawn to the technology. In recent years, though, the problem of global climate change has driven the search for cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. Meanwhile, manufacturers have made major strides in reducing the cost of power generated by photovoltaic sources. “I tend to think about these last few years as really taking solar technology from what I would refer to as a hobby stage to something that is a true industry,” Sohn said. “Up until just a few years ago, I thought of...