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• 2007-Nov-25 - Phoenix Solar Panels

The sun might come out today over First Solar Inc.'s manufacturing plant in Germany, but probably not. The forecast includes a combination of fog and rain that meteorologists quaintly refer to as "wintry mix." The same goes for the company's Ohio solar-panel factory, where weather reports suggest that employees could see rain turn to snow. No wonder 70 First Solar executives make Phoenix the company headquarters, even if the company doesn't sell many of its panels in this country. CEO Michael Ahearn decided to run First Solar from his hometown when he took over the year-old company in 2000. advertisement "The company is global in nature, so we thought, 'Why not?' " Ahearn said. Without much fanfare in the Valley, he managed research, development, the construction of new manufacturing plants and global sales. That was until the company went public a year ago and began announcing $1 billion contracts every few months, driving its stock from $20 to as high as $230. Now, the world is paying attention. First Solar has four new plants under construction in Malaysia, and more orders for its thin panels than it can supply immediately. When the company makes a sale, it's usually a big one, with nearly all its products put to use in large solar arrays for power plants, rather than single-rooftop electricity generation. First Solar's 2-foot by 4-foot panels are special because they work with very little of the pricey semiconductor material inside traditional solar panels, and can be cranked out much faster. That keeps down the cost, and company officials hope to make manufacturing efficient enough to compete with traditional electricity in the United States, something solar energy only has been capable of with subsidies.

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