According to the Wall Street Journal (September 3, 2009) in an article titled “Spain’s Solar-Power Collapse Dims Subsidy Model” they conclude that “The industry’s fundamental problem is that, without subsidies, it’s still not economically viable. An interesting quote from Mike Ahearn, chief executive of Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Corp. Solar power could be competitive “within a couple of years” but only if the industry gains scale. That would require generous government subsidies and other forms of support, Mr. Ahearn says: “It’s a chicken-and-egg” problem.
