Solar technology rush

Eight of the world’s 15 most successful producers of solar panels are based in China, according to a report issued last month by Greentech Media, a research firm focused on renewable energy.
Perhaps because of this, solar energy companies in other countries are concentrating on selling high-end technology to China. Kedar Gupta, founder of GT Solar, a solar company in Merrimack, New Hampshire, said, "Chinese manufacturers weren’t placing small orders with us. Our first Chinese customer bought US$300-million-plus of technology from us."
The company’s two main products are the reactors and furnaces that are used to turn raw silicon into the silicon wafers used in solar cells to convert sunlight into energy.
Boston.com reports GT Solar now has offices in Beijing and Shanghai. Last year, the company logged record revenues of US$544 million, with 62% of that coming from China. (The company’s most recent annual report was written in both Mandarin and English.)