GE Solar Panel Factory on Hold

By Erin Weaver

General Electric (GE) had hoped to be the country’s biggest solar equipment manufacturer by 2013, but those plans have been pushed back to at least 2015. Construction on an Aurora, Colorado, factory has been halted while the company focuses on boosting the efficiency of its cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels from 12.5% to more than 15% to compete with conventional crystalline panels flooding the market from China. The glut of solar panels caused prices to drop by nearly half in 2011, and a number of manufacturers have filed for bankruptcy, including Solyndra, Evergreen, SpectraWatt, and, most recently, Colorado-based Abound.

We are an independent publishing company committed to bringing our members accurate, unbiased, and timely green design information.

Since 1992 building professionals have gathered around BuildingGreen’s rich array of media and information resources, including the award-winning Environmental Building News, BuildingGreen Suite of online tools, GreenSpec directory of products, and LEEDuser web tool, so they can work smarter. Not harder.

About Us | Press | Frequently Asked Questions | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Download EBN