The polymer and organic solar cell technology is critically presented in the context of other thin film technologies with a specific focus on what it will take to make them a commercial success. The academic success of polymer and organic solar cells far outweigh any other solar cell technology when judging by the number of scientific publications whereas the application of polymer and organic solar cells in real products is completely lacking. This aspect is viewed as a sign of the polymer and organic solar cell field as being more complex and less mature and it raises the question of whether an organic analog to a successful inorganic technology is forcibly needed and indeed whether it is at all worth exploring beyond academia. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.