Solar In a deal hailed as a coup by some and a panic-buy by others, high-flying solar panel maker First Solar agreed to pay $400 million for the solar energy projects of OptiSolar, a Silicon Valley company that couldn't raise its latest round of funding and recently laid off half its staff. Some analysts think First Solar overpaid in a rush to keep OptiSolar's coveted projects out of the hands of competitors SunPower and Suntech. All three publicly traded companies have seen recent declines in share price, between 20 and 50 percent, year-to-date.