Edison, Texas Instruments debut cut-rate solar power technology: firms plan pilot 'Spheral...

Edison, Texas Instruments debut cut-rate solar power technology

More than 1,000 telephone inquiries rained on the electric utility that serves most of Los Angeles County, following the April 3 announcement that it is co-developing a revolutionary

Business Credit Solutions

• Get a Credit Report
• Get a D&B D-U-N-S Number
• Monitor My Business Credit - FREE TRIAL!

Business Credit Advice

• Business Credit Basics
• Build My Business Credit
• Extend Credit to Customers
• Use My Credit to Get Loans

Southern California Edison Co. and partner Texas Instruments Inc. called their nascent solar technology a "breakthrough." And it earned an interview that evening with anchorman Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News.

"I'm getting calls from Asia, Australia, all over," said Edison spokesman Richard Keeler. Interest came from companies that want a piece of the action, such as an investment banker in Boston, as well as news media, said Keeler.

The companies had worked on the high-tech project quietly for the last six years.

They stand to gain a bonanza if their $10 million investment pans out. The development is a 50-50 joint venture, the companies reported, but neither would disclose arrangements on dividing profits.

Texas Instruments holds the patent on the "Spheral Solar" technology, so-called because tiny spheres of silicon are metallurgically attached to a heavy aluminum foil. The technology would be employed by solar cells, which convert sunlight to electricity.

While today's solar cells produce electricity at $8 to $15 a watt, Edison said it expects to deliver a watt for $1.50 to $2. That could cut the estimated cost to solar-outfit a home with "typical" electrical needs of about 3,000 watts to about $5,000 from $20,000, estimated Edison Spheral Solar Project Manager Nick Patapoff.

"It has a real cost advantage over what we have now," he said. "That's what we expect," he added, cautioning that the technology has yet to be tested in the field.

Patapoff said the technology would likely be commercially available. "There's nothing that says it has to be sold only in our territory," he said. Edison serves about 4 million customers in Southern and Central California.

But the invention won't be on the market until the mid-1990s, the companies estimated. A pilot production plant is being established this year.

Texas Instruments spokesman Ted Jernigan speculated that businesses or homeowners might own the solar devices, lease them from a power company or allow the power company to put them on their roofs. "There's all kinds of options."

Patapoff doubted businesses would try to rely entirely on its new technology. "I would seriously doubt if it would be financially prudent," he said. Batteries for an average-sized home, or a business with similar electrical needs, could cost $10,000 to $15,000 extra. Batteries would be needed to store energy for use after dark.

Small-scale production of prototype solar cells will begin during the second quarter of this year, said a company statement. Initial units will be tried in the field later in the year.

The two companies are titans in their fields. Edison recorded $7.2 billion in revenues last year.

Texas Instruments, a leading high-tech company with manufacturing operations in more than 30 countries, reported $6.5 billion in sales last year.