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In a move that will bring thin-film solar panels to the U.S. residential market, First Solar has signed a deal to provide installer SolarCity with 100 megawatts' worth of solar arrays over the next five years. First Solar is also investing $25 million into SolarCity, the Silicon Valley startup backed by Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk. This is First Solar's initial foray into the home market - and apparently the first of any thin-film solar module maker. Thin-film solar panels are made by depositing solar cells on sheets of glass or flexible material and use little of the expensive silicon that forms the heart of more bulky conventional solar modules. That makes thin-film panels cheaper, although they are less efficient at converting sunlight into electricity. And thin is in for homeowners who prefer less-obtrusive panels on their roofs.

Harnessing the energy of the sunlight that you purposefully block from your eyes while out on a bright and cheery day. Sounds very waste not, want not, right? Well, a group of designers came up with just the solution you may want for this notion, and it just might be the best looking solar powered accessory we've seen so far. The glasses are called SIG, or "Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses" and they can power your iPod or PSP while you're out walking around. The lenses are made of dye solar cells, and your iPod can plug into the jack at the bottom of the frame.

March 3, 2009 Arizona based First Solar has achieved a major milestone in reducing the manufacturing cost for solar panels below the $1 per watt price barrier - the target necessary for solar to compete with coal-burning electricity on the grid or grid-parity. Using cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology in its thin-film photovoltaic cells, First Solar claims to have the lowest manufacturing cost per watt in the industry with the ability to make solar cells at 98 cents per watt, one third of the price of comparable standard silicon panels. The efficiency is in part due to a low cycle time - 2.5 hours from sheet of glass to solar module - about a tenth of the time it takes for silicon equivalents.

very nice idea to change lifestyle

News: Company planning to launch the new tech next year.