Evergreen Solar CEO: Mass. 'truly committed to solar'

Evergreen Solar Inc. of Marlborough, one of the state's leading alternative energy firms, opens its first wholly owned large-scale factory at the former Fort Devens in Ayer this month and already has an expansion underway. Chief executive Richard M. Feldt, 56, recently spoke with Globe reporter Robert Gavin.

Where does solar energy stand these days, and how far is it from solving our energy problems?

Back in 1980, solar panels sold for about $12 a watt out the manufacturer's door. Today they're sold for about $3.50 a watt. Installed, it's gone from $18 a watt to $6 to $7. So we've made a lot of progress. To get to grid parity we have to get to $4 a watt installed. By grid parity we mean the cost of electricity produced by the solar system is equal to, or less than, the cost of electricity you buy from utilities.

How far away is that?

Most companies believe somewhere around three years at the earliest and seven at the outside.

We've been hearing about solar's promise for 30 years. What's taking so long?

What's spurred the industry in the last 10 years is governments' willingness to provide incentives for companies to make investments. It costs a lot of money to build a solar factory. It costs a lot of money for the research to figure out ways to reduce costs. Without some degree of a subsidy, there's too big a disparity with the grid, and companies can't make that up on their own.

How big a role do you see solar playing in meeting our energy needs in the medium term?

We hope it will be substantial, but right now it's tiny. Less than 1 percent of the energy generated in the world. Even though the industry is growing 40 or 45 percent annually, it will be a long time before solar is an appreciable amount of new energy. But if costs come down, solar has the opportunity to become a not insignificant amount, 5 or 10 percent.

What about your technology?

We make solar wafers different than anyone else in the world. The conventional process wastes about half the silicon. We take a small amount of silicon, put it in our specially designed furnaces, heat it to 1,400 degrees centigrade, pull special string through that molten silicon, and draw the wafer continuously out of the furnace. We use half the silicon that the rest of the world uses.

So what are you doing here in Massachusetts? Shouldn't you be someplace where there's sun?

The technology was originally developed here by Emanuel Sachs, a well-regarded professor at MIT. Until recently, the company has been mainly a technology development firm, and it's been easy to attract technologists. We went to Devens as our first major commercial expansion because [Governor] Deval Patrick was very interested in alternative energy and came up with a competitive incentive package. It wasn't the most lucrative, but the governor was truly committed to solar energy.

Are high oil prices helping you?

First, I think high oil prices are bad for everybody. Generally speaking, though, as the price of oil goes up, the price of electricity goes up. Solar becomes more attractive because the differential between solar energy and utilities becomes smaller.

Well, what happens if oil prices tank?

If prices continue to rise, the time it takes to reach parity with the grid will be less, maybe three or four years. If oil prices drop off, maybe it takes five to seven years. It shouldn't affect us long-term at all.

What would it cost me to put one of these things on my roof right now?

Costs all in, in the $20,000 to $25,000 range.

What's your future here in Massachusetts?

Our Devens plant opens in June and will employ about 400 people. We've broken ground on our second phase, so by the middle of next year, our employment at Devens will be about 700. We certainly will continue to grow and develop our R and D capabilities here. But we expect to sell solar products around the world, and we will have production facilities near major markets.