Polycrystalline Silicon Shortage Extended: Bad News For Solar Power Pricing For Up To A Decade

From Financial Times (US Edition, subscription only) “The faster growing solar panel industry is forecast to overtake the chip sector in the next five years in its use of silicon. But it must first overcome an acute shortage of the commodity, which is throttling its expansion”. From the Tokyo Edition (full story linked) "Industry experts warn that a worldwide shortage of poly-crystalline silicon will not ease in 2008, as some expect, but could continue for at least another five years. Solar projects will either have to be abandoned, or governments will have to pay billions of additional dollars in subsidies". Among other things, this postpones serious discussion of ending all government subsidies for solar power. It affects computer pricing as well. One has to wonder if the laws of supply and demand have somehow been overcome? Could electricity pricing and availability be the problem? Someone explain!