Solar power: Supply and demand tables start to turn
Just as the future started to look bright for solar power, prospects for some solar manufacturers have dimmed. The reason? Overcapacity in the manufacture of components is likely to cause a sudden shake-up for an industry that has been used to demand for its products consistently outstripping supply.
Shortages of silicon, the core component of photovoltaic technology – the conversion of sunlight to electric current – have plagued the solar industry for several years, keeping component prices high and frustrating demand. This fuelled a rise – some analysts say a bubble – in solar stocks.
