German approach might energize solar industry

Applied Materials enters market with acquisition in July

Is the sun finally ready to shine on the solar industry?

That question is getting asked more often in clean energy circles these days, in part because Applied Materials Inc. — the Santa Clara company best known for selling the tools that make computer chips — recently tiptoed into solar energy manufacturing.

For decades solar cells have lived in the shadow of their close cousins, computer chips. Both are semiconductors — devices that can be induced to either block or conduct electricity.

Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/18/BUGU0KDCCV350.DTL