They are all trying to reduce the cost of solar panels by moving manufacturing to lower wage economies. Material costs are still too high.That is what needs to be addressed.

Upstream material costs (purified polysilicon) will help for sure...that's why I'm working with a CA start-up that takes metalurgical grade silicon and purifies it using a new patented semi-conductor approach resulting in a potential major disruptive cost reduction of polysilicon that the wafer, cell, and panel manufacturers can buy at a much lower price than they are today.

But no companies are looking at utilizing different materials.

You can't reduce the cost of CdTe or CIGS - it just can't be done. Not at the margins required at least.

Everyone believes that reaching a high enough efficiency level is going to push them out of danger - or put them over the top of silicon. But it isn't going to happen. Efficiency's have gotten the industry so far, as have thin films, but the rapid drop in prices is going to start flat lining again. And Chinese manufacturers, are going to continue to bring more and more capacity online, and drive the market into mass consolidation - or additional moves like evergreen solar.

U.S. Companies - without any U.S. labor force. What will the world come to next.

Allen, I agree with your comments. There is a need for different materials that are plentiful, non toxic-and can be manufactured using simpler less costly processes. I think that will be where the next break through ideas will be.

Daniel, does the new approach you mention result in manufacturing solar panels at ambient temperature?

Actually we don't have anything to do with the panel manufacturing. We will supply purified polysilicon bricks and/or granules to the wafer manufacturer. What our new process does is provide this polysilicon at a much reduced cost to the wafer/cell manufacturer so they can in turn pass the lower cost on to the panel manufacturer...and so on to the consumer....We achieve the lower cost by using a semi-conductor approach ie. using modified ingot pullers to perform the purification process rather than the chemical Siemens method. Our method will also product higher purity silicon which in turn will increase the efficiency of the cell and in turn allow the production of more efficient panels.

I understand you all are talking only about materials of solar panel....how about the installation times, method and materials....it should help all solar installer making profits and compensate the solar materials cost.....please pay attention to unseen saving cost that can happen.