SunPower signs for polysilicon

SunPower, a California-based manufacturer of solar cells and panels, has agreed to buy $250 million worth of polysilicon ingots from South Korea's DC Chemical over a four-year period starting in 2008. As part of the agreement, SunPower will supply cash to DC for the construction of a 3,000-metric-ton-per-year polysilicon plant in South Korea that will mostly supply SunPower. DC already produces gases used in polysilicon manufacturing, SunPower says. Manufacturers of solar cells have been struggling to secure polysilicon supplies in recent months as demand for their products surges.