Solar’s deathly spiral and the $650 million Suntech fraud | Climate Spectator

The headline here is somewhat overdone, as the main point at the end of the article is consolidation and dropping share, and product, values are predicted to continue falling until 2105/2016.  

It is important to see the top manufacturer lists of 2011 and 2007, to illustrate the 'first mover' advantage doesn't exist (on the manufacturing side).  

Solar’s deathly spiral and the $650 million Suntech fraud | Climate Spectator:

Subsidies for solar, particularly in Europe, led to rapid production growth through the lure of decent profits. It encouraged plenty of new competitors to try their hand in the sector and as the new entrants gathered, particularly in China, prices began to fall rapidly – 75 per cent since 2008 and 45 per cent last year alone.
With prices falling so swiftly on the back of innovation and an oversupply, solar manufacturers in developed economies have been caught short. Most simply can’t reduce prices as quickly as the likes of manufacturers in China due to considerably higher labour costs. That being said, even the Chinese firms are struggling.

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