We can see what investor (primarily stockholders) have done to distort the stock value of thousands of US corporations who are pressured to increase dividends at any costs. There is no reason to think that it won't happen to the PV industry as well.
Consider the fact that a PV installer or distributor, not in California or New Jersey, will not be allowed to buy BP Solar modules from the manufacturer or BP authorized distributors. A certain Texas based PV reseller/installer, a faithful and exclusive BP reseller for almost 20 years can no longer buy BP mods from BP or their authorized distributors. They must buy thru other second-tier distributors, driving the cost even higher for the consumer.
Their reason, or is it an excuse, is that there is a module shortage. Well when the day comes that a half trillion dollar corporation like BP cannot afford to build another module manufacturing plant in North America to sustain a growing market like the US is experiencing, that is the day that manufacturing is being constrained to keep prices high. Never forget, BP stands for British PETROLEUM.
And in pro-union states like Cal, we are seeing the heavy handed intrusion of the IBEW (electricians union) in the solar installation industry. This has pitted the largely independent PV installers industry, the people who birthed and developed the RE industry in the US, against a super wealthy, powerful and fundamentally corrupt special interest group.
History shows that union installed PV systems, all other things being equal, are 1/3 to 1/2 more expensive for the customer. Now this special interest money is working to weaken California legislation that is designed to help the PV industry grow and become more affordable.
Where is the outrage?

Just food for thought, its going to happen, I have seen it starting to happen here in Texas already. arcandspark

Call me late for getting into the PV game now, but what I'm seeing reflects your thoughts to a 'T'. Given the normal rules for supply and demand, we should be seeing really low prices on panels right now. (Huge supply, medium demand)
The problem seems to be some unknown large purchasers of these, especially bought from BP that are allowing the manufacturers to get whatever they want pricewise.
Are we seeing huge investors buying them in massive bulk to resell later at a profit, I don't know. Some vendors websites claim that they are being bought up for overseas projects, whether that's true or not...
Honestly, this is one of the first hobbies I've got into where no matter how hard you try you can't get a break on price. Strange-

-Rick-

I have a little time invested in this subject.

The manufacture sets the price normally by setting a MSRP and even in some cases making the retailer sign a statement to not display any price other then the MSRP price. One other problem the little guy has is No cash to invest in a 2 million dollar inventory in order to buy from manufactures. Manufactures only sell in bulk and in large bulk at that.

Which means you had better have a business that is running pretty wide open to sell a pallet of inverters that cost you a couple of grand per inverter and 18 to 50 on each pallet or you can't buy them. A skid of solar panels, well you get the point. There is a large investment required to buy and stock products. This is why a middle man (warehouse owner) steps in who stock piles the products at a low cost and puts a mark up on them.

The warehouse don’t want to sell to the public. So this is followed by the retailer/dealer having access to the warehouse to sell the product at no cost to the warehouse.

I have to say YES solar products are being stock piled in many warehouses in the USA. I know of three that are full. The problem is the US public is not ready yet. I have yet to have any one ask me how they can use solar products to keep them from having an electric black out or if the products can be used to save the planet. The normal questions I get are “How much money will it save meâ€￾, “How much money will solar panels make meâ€￾ or “I am planing to sell my home, would it be worth adding solar before I put it on the marketâ€￾. I feel most of the American public (not all) are only interested in solar for the pay back and nothing more. And at the minute the pay back is slow and in some areas there is no cash pay back at all.

So this all means that the products are not selling which means a lot of people have warehouses full of solar panels they can’t get rid of. This works just like a shortage, it will bring the prices up.

Then there is the Evergreen Corp. Which has been bragging for a few years that they have came up with a way to cut the cost of making solar panels and are doing it. But yet their prices are real close to the same as any other solar panel on the market. This says one of two things. Either they are making a great profit or the products are not selling.

Jon