It's only been a blink of an eye since the solar PV industry was living off the chip industry's table scraps-repurposing left-over wafers and melting down the cut-off ends of silicon ingots to make solar cells. Now the solar industry consumes more high-purity polysilicon than the semiconductor industry and is rapidly pulling away as it grows by leaps and bounds. Solar cells are in fact oversized photodiodes, often included with other semiconductor devices in technology classification trees.

But the solar PV industry is different, primarily because it is from the outset an upstart challenger in one of the world's largest commodity markets, the market for electrical power production. It is a potential energy game-changer, switching the emphasis from building big power plants to building big plants that manufacture the elements of distributed power generation. The technology and manufacturing innovations used in solar are related to those of the IC industry—but they are also profoundly different—in ways that chip-industry veterans need to understand clearly as they contemplate the possibilities, opportunities, and potential pitfalls of the burgeoning solar industry.

In its new Solar Energy: Growth Opportunities for the Semiconductor Industry report explores and analyzes this important growth market for the first time with an eye to the interests of participants of the semiconductor industry in gaining a clear understanding of solar technologies and markets and finding ways to exploit existing and upcoming opportunities.

Included in the report:

1. Executive summary of solar PV market conditions and forecast
2. A review of the PV industry's context and landscape
3. Assessment of current and potential technology challenges to mainstream wafer-based solar cells
4. How different technologies fit into different solar market segments
5. Marketshare forecast: thin-film PV vs. wafer-based cells
6. A look at the changing role of government incentive programs in driving demand for solar PV systems
7. Country-by-country end demand forecast for top markets
8. Ranking of the top solar PV device suppliers
9. Summaries of top PV suppliers' technology, strategy, and growth plans
10. Changing priorities: PV industry's push to thinner wafers and other silicon-saving strategies re-evaluated as
    the price of silicon plunges
11. Capital spending forecast for solar cell industry
12. Assessment of the critical change in conditions taking place in the polysilicon market and its consequences
13. Semiconductor content of typical solar PV systems
14. Market forecast for semiconductors used in solar-energy systems—a small but rapidly growing segment

Solar Energy: Growth Opportunities for the Semiconductor Industry was written for semiconductor industry players to understand their silicon cousin. With almost 120 and 70 tables, graphs, and illustrations covering many different market, technology, and political factors, the new Solar Energy report is sure to be a useful research tool for any participant in the semiconductor industry that is looking to branch out and explore new business opportunities.

Samples of the Nearly 70 Tables, Graphs, and Illustrations

• Worldwide Solar PV Installations
• Solar PV Installations by Country
• Pricing Forecast for Solar Modules
• Map of World Solar Insolation
• Grid Parity Reached in Some Markets by 2010
• Global Electrical Generation by Type
• Smart Electricity Meter
• Examples of Concentrating PV (CPV) Systems
• Cross-Section of Basic Silicon Wafer-Based Solar Cell
• Solar Photovoltaic Technologies at a Glance
• Emitter Wrap-Through Back-Contact Cell
• Module Construction for Back-Contact Solar Cells
• Triple-Junction Compound Semiconductor Solar Cell
• Cross-Sections of Silicon Thin-Film Solar Panels
• Cross-Section of CdTe Thin-Film Solar Panel
• Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
• '94-'13 Solar Market Growth vs. Global GDP Growth
• Solar PV Sales at System, Module, and Cell Levels
• Growth of Thin-Film Module Marketshare
• '07-'13 Solar PV Market Forecast by Technology
• '07-'13 Solar PV Market Forecast by System Type
• Global Installed Solar PV Capacity by Country
• Top 15 Photovoltaic Device Suppliers
• Market for Semiconductors in Solar PV Systems
• IGBT Market and Units in Solar PV Systems
• Power FET Market and Units in Solar PV Systems
• Other Semiconductor Markets in Solar PV Systems
• Four Common Solar Inverter Arrangements
• Solar Inverter Using Full-Bridge IGBT Topology
• Solar Inverter Prototype Using SiC Power Transistors
• MCU Control of Solar Inverter Functions
• Maximum Power Point Varies with Conditions
• Global Solar PV Device Production Capacity
• Global Solar PV Device Capacity Utilization
• Global Solar PV Device Capacity Additions
• Capex for PV Cell and TF Module Capacity
• 2008 PV Device Production by Region
• Worldwide Polysilicon Sales for PV Cells
• Polysilicon Capacity Available for PV Cells
• Cost of Solar-Grade Polysilicon

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1. Executive Summary

• Market Summary
• The Almighty Cost per Watt
• The Government Incentive Roller-Coaster
• And Now, the Big Price Drop

Section 2. Solar Market Context

• Introduction 
• The Green Imperative
• Still a Bit PlayerAre Smart-Grid Investments Required?
• Investing in Solar
• China’s Big Push
• And Here Come the Koreans
• Competitive Technologies

Section 3. Photovoltaic Technology

• The Basic Solar Cell
• Types of Solar-Cell Wafers
• Wafer Size and Thickness
• Manufacturing Steps for a Basic Cell
• Keeping It Simple
• Back-Contact Cells
• III-V Cells 
• Thin-Film PV Modules
• Silicon-based TF Solar
• CdTe-based TF Solar
• CIGS-based TF Solar
• Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
• Organic and Polymer Solar Cells
• Other Inorganic Compounds

Section 4. Solar PV Market Forecast

• Forecast Assumptions
• Environmental Opinions are Subject to Change
• Technology Revolutions Take Time
• Forecast: System, Panel, and Cell Sales
• Regional End Markets

Section 5. Photovoltaic Device Suppliers

• Introduction
• Q-Cells AG 
• First Solar Inc.
• Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd.
• Sharp Corp. 
• Motech Industries Inc.
• Kyocera Corp.
• JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.
• Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd.
• Gintech Energy Corp.
• Solar World AG 
• SunPower Corp.

Section 6. Semiconductors in PV Solar Systems

• Introduction
• Semiconductor Building Blocks
• Solar System Configurations
• IC Developments 

Section 7. Manufacturing Equipment Forecast

Section 8. Solar-Grade Polysilicon Market