It seems unlikely that these will weather very well, so we'll have to see how they cope with thermal cycling and storm stresses. Nice to note that things have moved along since I worked on Si photovoltaics - it's taken longer than I expected, though

As a science educator I routinely draw analogies to help my students understand basic concepts. When considering science in the West, my analogy would be "the new monasticism". In order to pursue your field, you have to be prepared to forgo rewards, social and financial, other professionals take for granted. You do so because you "love" your field - you have a "faith" and seek validation from your colleagues - the "true believers" of the order. Later, you may lose this faith (perhaps after a run-in with a senior, powerful figure) and either leave the order or remain and skulk around (embittered) looking for it again. Everyone else thinks the members of your group are a bit weird and may not take you seriously - except for the abbott-level figures who set the orthodoxy within the order. Chastity, incidentally, is entirely optional.

Like all analogies it's hardly perfect, especially as challenging orthodoxy is fundamental to the scientific method - but this could be viewed as an orthodoxy in its own right. Also, we probably all know some senior figures in the research community who have sought to hold back the tide of progress in favour of their own earlier ideas. The OP is spot on - and those like me who sought out science with "high" motives probably mostly got nowhere and ended up somewhere else (in my case, a more stable career in teaching).