Pyrite solar cells have been researched for decades now. What gives, why aren’t they made. Publications on them have been positive, but also about postponing their arrival. One of the reasons not to allow new cheaper solar tech on the market is obviously the impact on fossil revenue.
Secondary to that first replacement threat is that solar energy technology that requires a lot of fossil energy to make is prefered to types that require very little energy. Silicon solar is about the most energy intensive you can get, it requires silicon but also glass, aluminum, results in heavy products that need to be hauled and can break. But all these negative aspects are economic positives : More cashflow, more fossil fuel use.
Thin film solar, which includes Pyrite PV, will be super cheap, and with Pyrite there is no shortage of the stuff on Earth. But it may well be that it has only been a research fund excuse, so a method to get funds. It may well be its still keeping a lot of research alive (and thus may not become a solved problem). It may be that all the research is controlled by Shell (part of it is!). If you see people professionaly explaining what the problems are and why its hard you have to suspect some type of supression (because who would make a voluntary day job out of that message?).
So I will list positive and negative publications below.
Positive
Status and Potential of Pyrite Solar Power
Negative
Now we understand why pyrite does not work