Honda to mass-produce solar cells in 2007    Mon Dec 19, 2005 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. said on Monday it plans to start mass-producing solar cells in 2007, eyeing growing demand for environmentally friendly energy sources.   The company aims to generate annual sales of 5 billion to 8 billion yen ($40 million to $70 million) from solar cells once the factory's output reaches full annual capacity of 27.5 megawatts, enough to power about 8,000 households.

Honda will be competing with major solar cell manufacturers such as Kyocera Corp., Sharp Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.  Honda said its solar cells would be composed of non-silicon compound materials, consuming half as much energy and generating 50 percent less carbon dioxide during production when compared with conventional solar cells made from silicon.  The company aims to sell the solar cells for both residential and industrial use. It will initially target the Japanese market.