Well...
I'm not sure how (or when?) Ovonic and Unisolar hooked up.
They have photos of the Auburn Hills MI facilities, but every Unisolar US-XX, when I recall looking at the sticker, said "Made in Malaysia". I didn't notice a photo, or any mention, of the Malaysia facilities. A bit more looking found mention of a facility in Tijuana, Mexico. And `700 employees worldwide'.
The "Technology: Triple-junction thin film technology developed by the R& D team that holds a world record in cell and module efficiencies" makes me wonder more than a little about their honesty to disclosure ratio. Read that part slowly. I am sure there are 100 ways to figure a `world record' and I doubt the way they have it figured relates to the Triple-Junction thin film AND crystalline. Or maybe their record is NOT for thin film?
According to the story "Thin-film panels are about half as efficient as standard systems". I assume `standard' means poly or mono crystalline.
Supply and demand. If they could keep up making PVs, they would not have discontinued everything below 62/64W. They sold thousands of the US-21 and US-32 just around here. The local demand for Unisolar PVs plummeted at exactly that moment.
If they can make enough PVs to keep up, why discontinue so many models?
Plus, even if they sold the PVs to primary distributors for $1/W, somewhere along the line the price would increase dramatically. Retail wouldn't be a whole lot less than a better (personal opinion) poly or mono crystalline PV.
Companies are in business to make money. The price will be related to what the end user is willing to pay.
It sounds like UK PV users are only willing to pay 20% less for thin film, while US users are willing to pay about the same. Maybe the UK users do more research because all the PVs cost more?
If they could sell them for 6.6% more, they certainly would.
If it cost $10 to make a new kind of PV, that they wholesale for $15, they make $5.
If they could wholesale it for $16, the profits rise 20%. ($5 to $6)
What company would NOT increase profits 20% if the market would bear it with the stroke of a pen? Especially considering if they don't do it, someone down the supply line will do it.
It's been 17 years. If `big oil' is out to get them, they are doing a pretty piss poor job of it. If they have something new as a start up company, they need a new PR secretary.
Maybe `big oil' Shell was being Extra Super Sneaky when it sold its unprofitable solar division to Solar World? Maybe Solar World is part of the plan, like when they go out of business because they didn't make any money too? The investors must have gone in on the plan to lose their invested money just to make sure their gasoline prices stay high.
I do not intend to blast anyone's PVs. I'm sure Ovshinski is smart, and a nice guy.
G-