Historical overview, accomplishments, and value of the FSA project: Industry

An historical overview of the progress of photovoltaics (PV) as a function of oil price and DOE PV budgeting levels was presented. The state of the worldwide PV industry, the PV interests and activities of utilities, and the phases of evolution that a technology such a photovoltaics goes through on the way to commercialization were reviewed. Although the length of time it will take photovoltaics to evolve from discovery to commercialization was increased from 50 to 80 years, the outlook is optimistic.