Via The Telegraph:
According to Anil Sethi, of the Swiss company Flisom the answer is yes. He believes that a new process to produce thin film solar will reduce “$ per watt” rates, currently at $4/watt, to around $0.80 (US) per watt in 5 years and to $0.50 per watt by 2017.

The new solar technology would allow entire facades of buildings, or roofs to be coated with electricity producing material. This would greatly increase the surface area producing energy.

The secret? Mr Sethi lovingly cradles a piece of dark polymer foil, as thin a sheet of paper. It is 200 times lighter than the normal glass-based solar materials, which require expensive substrates and roof support. Indeed, it is so light it can be stuck to the sides of buildings.

[snip]

It is based on a CIGS (CuInGaSe2) semiconductor compound that absorbs light by freeing electrons. This is then embedded on the polymer base. It will be ready commercially in late 2009.

“It’ll even work on a cold, grey, cloudy day in England, which still produces 25pc to 30pc of the optimal light level. That is enough, if you cover half the roof,” he said.

The article goes on to say that once the $1/watt threshold has been breached, that solar energy will be able to truly compete with traditional sources of power. Rural areas could be electrified without pollution. Utilities are watching these developments closely as solar electric production is beginning to hit their bottom line.

Needless to say, electricity utilities are watching the solar revolution with horror. Companies in Japan and Germany have already seen an erosion of profits because of an effect known “peak shaving”. In essence, the peak wattage of solar cells overlaps with hours of peak demand and peak prices for electricity in the middle of the day, crunching margins.

Click through for the rest of the article, a surprisingly optimistic view of solar’s future: Telegraph.co.uk

For more information on Flisom, see their (barebones) website www.flisom.ch