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An additional attribute of the niche-serving path was that these niche opportunities were almost entirely independent of public policies directed at solar itself. To be sure, governments played a role in running the space program, in subsidizing off- shore oil exploration, and in supporting the consumer electronics industry. But these government activities were not designed with solar in mind. This independence from policy was a further benefit of niche markets because policy volatility has been such a central aspect of energy policymaking (Nemet et al., 2014). Niches made solar less dependent on policy. Policymakers were essential to solar’s eventual success in becoming economically competitive, but a key aspect of its success was solar’s ability to survive and grow during the interludes when public interest in solar was low. For example, the existence of niche applications in consumer electronics allowed the PV industry to survive even when policy support was weak after energy prices fell in 1985 and stayed low for two decades.