One of the largest inhibitors to cheap solar power has always been the high cost of solar panels (due to their thick glass, framing, and expensive silicon). San Jose-based Nanosolar, Inc. appears ready to eliminate these barriers with solar technology that utilizes thin sheets of non-silicon components that reduce the production costs by over 90% and decreases the thickness by 99% (the Nanosolar PowerSheets are thin enough to be rolled up).
Unlike many other solar companies, Nanosolar, Inc. has already built a massive manufacturing plant and intends to deliver its first solar sheets to European customers in 2008 at a price that will put solar power at or below the per watt price of fossil fuel-based energy. The company claims that the technology is so versatile that they could be incorporated into roofing shingles or even rolled onto the top of cars or trucks.
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