Solar panel makers vulnerable: Barron's

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of First Solar Inc (FSLR.O) and Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ENER.O), which make low-silicon solar panels, look vulnerable as falling silicon prices narrow their cost advantages versus rivals that rely more heavily on silicon, Barron's reported on Sunday.

A key selling point for the "thin-film" panels sold by First Solar and Energy Conversion was that they used very little silicon, and were therefore lower-cost alternatives to traditional panels, Barron's said.

With silicon prices dropping, silicon panels could become so cheap that they take share from the lower-cost substitutes, Barron's said.