Why isn't thin-film PV getting cheaper fast?

[joel-thedoc-callow]

PV prices don't seem to be falling rapidly, despite predictions for at least 10 years that they would. The thin film technology, in particular, promised rapidly falling production costs which don't seem to have materialised. Is this just perception, and if not, what are the latest projections?

[Kevin Hard]

Hiya Joel. Hope everything is great at Inbuilt.

I think it's still a case of supply and demand. The feed in tarrifs have just meant such massive increase in global demand that all solar prices are inflated.

One of the thin film companies I'm watch at the moment is 'First Solar' http://www.firstsolar.com/. They've had a huge amount of investment over the past couple of years and are moving pretty quickly. Although they promote the thin film as lower cost for homes and buildings, their core market is the solar power stations in countries with the feed in tarrifs.

It will be interesting to see how things go over the next year or two with increasing fuel costs and some of these larger PV manufacturing facilities coming online.

Kind regards
Kevin