The 4th edition of the Solar Industry Forum that took place this Wednesday 9th of September showed again the increased dynamism of European PV manufacturers. Of course, the short-to-medium term ambitions are still far from the Tier-1 actors that are now playing in the double-digit GW range, but innovation and will are present.
The first conclusion is that the new technologies are here now to start replacing the mainstream ones. Heterojunction (HJT), Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC), new tandem cells and more. But other innovations at wafer and module level are changing the PV landscape, but not as much as new cells technologies.
The second one is that economies of scale are extremely important, as highlighted by VDMA/ITRPV: 5 GW would become a minimum for competing with Asian manufacturers.
The third one is the need for an integrated approach from the market design to the products: the PV market is not monolithic and could be tuned to favor some segments as several European countries did in the recent years.
In other words, the expected massive development of solar energy in the world, whatever the wishes of some stubborn incumbents, will drive the PV market to new heights. The famous 250 GW threshold which was mocked some years ago when researchers such as Christian Breyer (LUT) landed it could be reached in less than 5 years. And more will come. Such market will require to ramp up production, develop PV in segments where it barely set foot until now and will require industrial commitment from policymakers.
Don’t miss the opportunity to join the next sessions!
The whole program and registration links are available here