Mass-produced solar chips, finally
"We have a classic Silicon Valley land rush," says T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor. Since solar cells use the same basic silicone parts as a computer chip, tech companies can replicate the chip industry's high-volume automated manufacturing to deliver solar at prices competitive with grid power faster than the industry's current 2010-15 target. This is fueled not only by the booming global interest in solar power, but the fact that the solar industry is experiencing a 40% annual growth, which has finally perked the interest of large chip makers like IBM, Intel and National Semiconductor.













