Origin to pursue solar plan

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 25/11/2008 Page: 41

Origin Energy will continue plans to expand its pilot solar cell-making plant in Adelaide despite rival BP Solar announcing the closure of its 200-worker Sydney solar cell factory in March. Funds for a commercial-scale plant at Regency Park to make sliver cell solar panels, a new panel using 90 per cent less silicon than conventional cells, were expected to be committed for construction to begin in March this year.

Larger volumes of product were expected to come on stream in 2010. However, Origin Energy spokesman Philip Mackey said there had been some "bumps in the road" in research and development. "We would like to have been further advanced than we are now," he said. Mr Mackey said Origin Energy's issues differed from BP Solar's reasons for closing Australian operations. BP Solar blamed high costs for the closure of its Sydney plant.