( CNET ) -- General Electric plans to give its solar business a charge in two years with the introduction of panels with the same solar cell material used by industry cost leader First Solar . General Energy is developing a solar energy product aimed at utility and commercial customers . In 2011 , the energy giant expects to produce solar panels made with cadmium telluride , a thin-film solar cell material , said Michael Idelchik , vice president of advanced technologies at GE Global Research at the EmTech conference here on Wednesday . The company now sells solar panels that use silicon solar cells , but its long-term bet is on thin-film and specifically cadmium telluride because it offers the cheapest cost per watt , he said . Last year , GE 's energy division took a majority stake in Golden , Colorado-based PrimeStar Solar , for its cadmium telluride cell technology . GE is now developing a product around that aimed at utility and commercial customers . Solar at GE is a relatively small part of its sprawling energy portfolio , which covers everything from nuclear power plants to natural gas turbines . But GE expects that solar has the potential to grow rapidly , as its multi-billion dollar wind business has done over the past five years . `` Solar is definitely the next wind for us . It 's not there yet but it 's moving very rapidly , '' said Idelchik . Solar is more expensive than wind right now , but GE expects that renewable energy mandates will help drive growth and bring costs down , he said . Thin-film solar cells offer lower production costs than the incumbent silicon because thin-film cells use far less material . Over the past five years , several solar companies have formed to make thin-film cells from a combination copper , indium , gallium , and selenide ( CIGS ) , which are still not in the market in high volumes . GE 's cells will be made from a compound of cadmium and tellurium . Silicon cells are durable and more efficient at converting sunlight to electricity than thin-film solar cells with the most efficient commercial silicon cells over 20 percent . But GE Research projects that it can boost the efficiency of cadmium telluride to 12 percent and potentially higher , Idelchik said . `` We are excited about it because it can produce in diffuse light , '' he said . `` The module ( panel ) life is 20 years -- that 's what the customer wants . It has the right production costs and right efficiency target . '' Asked how its cadmium telluride products will differ from First Solar 's , Idelchik said that GE 's device would be more `` flexible for customers . '' During his presentation , Idelchik said that GE is looking at ways at managing an entire solar array in a large installation built by a utility or commercial customer . After his talk , he said that GE is developing technology to recycle the solar cell material , as cadmium is a very toxic if it enters the environment . © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved . CNET , CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission .
General Electric to change from silicon solar cells to thin - film material . GE says change has the right production costs and right efficiency target . Thin - film solar cell material has lowest cost per watt , GE says . GE is developing technology to replace the solar cell material .