I’ve been watching for them as well. But steel roof.

CdTe and CIGS were the savior PV technologies when purified silicon prices were high five years ago, or so. It is now hard to see how they will best the cost-efficiency performance combination of silicon. Silicon PV panels are now down to $0.70/W and are reportedly headed to $0.50/W. Some Silicon PV panels are already at 20% efficiency. If silicon PV companies can achieve $0.50/W and 20% efficiency by 2015, then I’m not sure how CdTe or CIGS PV companies will compete.

Here is another link on FSLR that provides a different view:
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/first_solar_to_manufacture_new_crystalline_silicon_line_from_end_of_2014 – August 2013
“First Solar to manufacture new crystalline silicon line from end of 2014”

“First Solar will start a 100MW manufacturing line for crystalline silicon cells for the residential distributed
market from the end of next year with production scaling from 2015, it was revealed yesterday.” “In May this year, the leader in thin film CdTe acquired the lower-cost, high efficiency crystalline silicon startup founded in 2009 by Denis de Ceuster after 12 years at Sunpower.” “By
2017, distributed residential and commercial generation is expected to account for more than half of the market [see slide 1], a lucrative, growing market that is more suited to higher efficiency crystalline technologies than thin film which typically require larger installation areas.”
” ‘Obviously the motivation is very clear,’ said de Ceuster, who is now director of research and development of
c-Si at First Solar. ‘First Solar’s CdTe technology has been
dominating the market for utility scale and large commercial applications. That technology isn’t suitable for residential or small commercial – that’s half the global market.’ “
“Tetrasun has achieved a third party confirmed efficiency of 21.4% [see slide 2] with its n-type silicon cells and aims to achieve these efficiencies again when the 100MW capacity production starts in the last quarter of 2014. Metal
fingers and busbars are copper-plated reducing metallisation costs to $0.01/Wp as opposed to costly silver paste.”

I think they are ramping their newly acquired low-cost and high-efficiency silicon PV production too slowly, like a big company afraid to gamble on a new tech, but what do I know? They may be right to be cautious. One thing I do know is solar PV is getting so cheap, and that is already set to continue for a few more years at a minimum, so demand is going to rebound in a big way and we will actually go into an over-demand, under-supply market for solar PV. (The market expands exponentially with a linear drop in price.) Maybe all of them, CdTe, CIGS, and Silicon PV, will be selling out by 2015? PV panels are cheap now. It is more about bringing the soft costs, installation and other BOS costs, down now. High efficiency is a factor, but….

The helium lift is there in order to enhance the bushplane’s performance. The top surface is the only thing big enough to hold the amount of solar cells needed to drastically increase the bushplane’s range, the dual sources of lift and reduced structural weight increases payload about five-fold, and the helium lift also reduces the aircraft’s stall speed to practically nothing- giving it terrific short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance, which is coveted by bushplanes. Really, the balloon was only a cheap, pragmatic solution.

Here’s what they state on their web site…

World-record holder for CdTe thin film module (14.4%) and cell (18.7%) efficiency

Manufacturing cost leader at $.68/watt (Q4 2012)

http://www.firstsolar.com/en/Innovation/Advanced-Thin-Film-Modules

Greentech Media has an interesting piece about the WH and solar. PV was mounted on one of the White House buildings during G W Bush’s term.

“Then, nine months after the start of the W. administration, Strong
visited the site and spent the entire day with the White House
architect. They looked at all the potential siting opportunities,
excepting the main mansion, which is “covered with spook stuff.” Strong
ended up helping design and install a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic system
and two thermal solar systems within the compound. All the inverters
had to go to the Secret Service warehouse for clearance, presumably for
inspection for listening devices and explosives.”

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/White-House-Finally-Getting-Solar-Panels