Commentary: Intel, H-P and IBM are making bets, but payoff likely years away
As companies like Intel Corp., IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. have made moves in the solar power space, many have wondered if these high-tech heavyweights could use either their manufacturing or intellectual muscle to push down costs and thereby lower the price of solar power.
Perhaps eventually, but not quite so fast.
Because of the vast use of silicon wafers in the solar industry, it is easy to leap to the conclusion that these tech giants, which all have great expertise working with silicon, will have a big effect on the nearly $20 billion estimated market this year for solar cells and modules. Solar cells, encased in panels on the rooftops of homes and businesses, convert solar energy into electricity....MORE
