
SolarCity’s Gigafactory - jseliger
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600770/solarcitys-gigafactory/
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OrwellianChild
Seems like the gamble here is on either:

1) SolarCity's newly efficient tech being the best in production for long
enough to re-coup the costs of the factory, or

2) SolarCity being able to keep up with new developments along the way.

I don't know enough about the production process for PV to understand whether
this is just a capacity expansion project or if the Gigafactory is tooled
specifically for that 22% efficient panel. Can anyone clarify?

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toomuchtodo
This is a brand new factory in upstate NY that's going to equip SolarCity with
about 1GW of yearly panel production, and allows them to vertically integrate
their business (ie not rely on other panel suppliers).

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OrwellianChild
Ah, okay. I realize they were primarily an installer before. The article
seemed to focus on their new efficiency tech, so I was left wondering whether
that was a more relevant part of the investment. Presumably they can re-tool
as techniques improve and keep their vertical integration...

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bewatson
I am glad to see this step towards economic growth for Buffalo. This project
has helped out a lot of people in the area by providing jobs. Hopefully that
progress continues.

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Mizza
This is some really shameless product placement by the Tech Review, who are
normally quite good about tech journalism. Slack? Really?

