> This makes traditional silicon-based panels quite impractical in countries that are densely populated, like Japan, when only large spaces can accommodate them

> This makes traditional silicon-based panels quite impractical in countries that are densely populated, like Japan, when only large spaces can accommodate them. Bullshit. Japan is full of homes with silicon-based panels on their roofs and they work quite well. See this neighborhood in Ota City/Gunma for example (use satellite view). https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Xbi28BNuHSuV4wt7 https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Xbi28BNuHSuV4wt7 This is a neighborhood full of people who work at the local Subaru factory who IIRC got a special deal on rooftop panels, but rooftop PV is still not unusual in Japan as a whole.