Innovative ways to reduce solar panel production cost

I was browsing Technology Review and found this short article on reducing cost of solar panels. One reason for solar panels not being accepted as mainstream is because of COST. The use of silicon in manufacturing of solar panels has made it expensive to produce and costly to buy. These are a few innovative ways to reduce cost.

1. Using clear molded plastic (cheaper raw material) as a collector. To gather the light and funnel it to silicon strips. Since silicon strips only account for half the panel's real estate, less Si material is used

2. Using manufacturing equipment already developed for the semiconductor industry, instead of expensive customized equipment

3. Effectively locate the wires for collecting current and optimizing wires to collect electricity more efficiently

4. Mass production

Partial source: Technology Review