Oerlikon Solar plans to reach production costs at grid parity by the end of this year, meaning the company is on track to offer its customers an advanced fab design capable of producing solar modules for 70 cents per watt by that time.

Oerlikon Solar said that it has driven down module costs by around 25 percent, raising efficiency and improving the productivity of its lines from 60 MW in 2008 to 100 MW in 2009 without additional equipment.

The company also said that it is on track to deliver another 30% cost reduction by end of 2010, enabling customers to offer solar electricity at grid-competitive prices in many parts of the world.