But
from
an
investment
standpoint,
even
more
damaging
was
last
month’s
announcement
by
First
Solar
—
the
only
thin-film
manufacturer
truly
competing
with
the
crystalline-silicon
(c-Si)
industry
on
its
own
terms
—
that
it
will
permanently
shut
its
production
lines
in
Germany.
Thin-film’s
problems
are
not
limited
to
a
few
one-off
bankruptcies
or
restructuring
programmes,
nor
are
they
new.
But
First
Solar’s
struggles
have
hammered
home
the
message
that
thin-film
PV
is
fighting
for
its
very
survival.
Although
First
Solar
hung
on
to
its
position
last
year
as
the
world’s
second-largest
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