General Electric Co., the largest supplier of wind turbines in the U.S., expects to exceed the 12.8 percent solar-efficiency record for thin-film modules when its first commercial-scale panel factory opens in 2013.
Improving solar-panel efficiency, or the amount of sunlight converted to electricity, would help reduce costs to about 10 cents to 15 cents a kilowatt-hour without subsidies, making it more competitive with fossil fuels, according to Victor Abate, who oversees solar, wind and renewable energy at Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE.
