Continued Growth in International Photovoltaic Markets
Source: InterSolar.de
http://www.intersolar.de/2+M5074dbdb453.html
The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) expects new photovoltaic systems to be installed per year with a volume of 5,600 Megawatt peak from 2010 on. In 2006, the market volume was 1.362 Megawatt peak. The international photovoltaic industry will be discussing this ongoing dynamic development and other current issues at the 3rd PV Industry Forum. The industry-focussed conference will be communicating the latest trends of the international photovoltaic markets as well as key technical issues. The 3rd PV Industry Forum is supported by the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) and the German Energy Agency GmbH (dena), and will take place in the run-up to Intersolar, Europe’s largest solar technology fair, on the 20th of June 2007 in Freiburg, Germany.
Additional silicon resources lead to accelerated market growth
Given that subsidies are continued, EPIA expects an accelerated growth of the global market volume by more than 30% per year until 2010, to a total of 5,600 Megawatt peak. This reflects the strong and dynamic growth of the world-wide PV market. Over the last two years, the increase of installed output was hindered by a shortage of silicon. According to the recent Sarasin sustainability study “Solar Energy 2006”, considerable additional silicon resources should lead to accelerated market growth by 2008.
300 participants discuss current market and technical trends
To discuss this and other industry-related topics, decision-makers from the photovoltaic industry meet at the PV Industry Forum once a year. Managing Directors, Heads of Sales and Marketing and Product Managers use the platform for a lively exchange of current market and technical trends. The 3rd PV Industry Forum is supported by the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) and the German Energy Agency (dena). The organizers, Solar Promotion GmbH from Pforzheim and the Freiburg- based PSE GmbH are expecting a total of 300 participants.
Germany, Italy and Spain lead Europe’s PV market – Asian countries catch up
The 3rd PV Industry Forum focuses on the most important global PV markets. According to BSW-Solar’s estimate in 2006, new installations with an output of around 750 MWp were installed in Germany, Europe’s leading PV market. Other important European markets include Spain and Italy. California, the leading market in the United States, plans to spend US$ 3.2bio on promoting solar energy. This should bring an additional boost. According to the Sarasin survey, Asian countries such as China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand will also be important PV markets.
Ten new production lines for thin film technology
The PV industry is responding to the market development: world-wide, many companies are increasingly investing in setting up, expanding or modernizing solar factories, as well as in developing new production techniques. “We estimate that the German PV industry has invested two Billion Euros. The introduction of ten new production lines for thin film technology alone cost around EUR 500m in 2006/2007,” according to Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Managing Director of BSW-Solar.
“Mini-Grids” and PV hybrid installations as solutions for threshold countries
One session with four presentations at the 3rd PV Industry Forum will deal with the current developments in thin film technology. The current situation of bottle necks in silicon, which is used in multi-crystalline cells, and the resulting price increases have furthered the growth of thin film technology: thin film modules, which require less material, had a share of 6.5% in the global market.
Another conference session is dedicated to rural electrification in developing and threshold countries: “In remote areas, so-called “mini grids” on schools or other public buildings are the technology of the future. The same applies to high-performance photovoltaic hybrid installations which can either replace or complement diesel generators,” explains Berthold Breid, project manager for renewable energies at the German Energy Agency GmbH (dena).