Rise of solar energy puts squeeze on silicon supplies

In a state where tropical sunshine is near constant and electricity costs twice the national average, solar power seems an easy answer.

But with the panels that produce the electricity already popular abroad and a batch of new domestic tax credits just kicking in, solar suppliers locally and around the globe are scrambling for stock.

..In 2006 the solar industry is on track to use more of the silicon, known as polysilicon, than the entire semiconductor industry, Resch said.

“We’ve grown to such a point that there is no available polysilicon feedstock to continue to put into the solar industry so that we can grow at that rate,” he said.

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