But
another
important
side
effect
of
the
oversupplied
market
has
been
the
renewed
focus
on
technological
competition,
an
aspect
of
the
business
that
was
often
given
short
shrift
during
the
boom
years,
according
to
REC
chief
technology
officer
Erik
Sauar.
“During
the
years
when
PV
supplies
were
limited
[roughly
from
2004-08],
cell
efficiencies
grew
pretty
slowly,”
Sauar
tells
Recharge.
“Everyone
was
focused
on
higher
volumes
and
ever
thinner
wafers,”
so
that
they
could
squeeze
more
of
them
out
of
the
same
amount
of
silicon
—
which
traded
as
high
as…
