Sorry, I was a bit caught up in the euphoria that panel manufacturers are finally thinking about increasing resolution and quality.

To reduce defects and costs, Japanese flat panel manufacturers have been anxious to obtain the most sophisticated production equipment.

The Law is named after Richard Swanson, the founder of SunPower Corporation a solar panel manufacturer.

I think it is more just evidence that that size is not yet economical rather than whether or not any panel manufacturers have one publicly for sale right this moment.

"With the increased risks, the increased costs, it gives you a sense of where we're going," Mr. Obama said during a visit to a solar panel manufacturer in California.

He worked as an architect's draughtsman for several years until he shifted to civil engineering and became president of Texfab, a concrete panel manufacturer.

Its display manufacturing affiliate, LG Display, is now the world's largest plasma panel manufacturer.

First Solar was briefly the largest panel manufacturer in 2009, in terms of yearly power produced, using a thin-film cell sandwiched between two layers of glass.

The typical warranty given by panel manufacturers is over 90% of rated output for the first 10 years, and over 80% for the second 10 years.

Although improvements mean panel manufacturers now guarantee a minimum output for at least 25 years, there are still caveats to bear in mind: