State of global solar energy market: Overview, China's role, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Solar energy is the most common, cheapest, and most mature renewable energy technology. With solar photovoltaics taking over recently, an in-depth look into their supply chain shows a surprising dependency on the Chinese market from the raw materials to the assembled PVs. This article tackles the main challenges in the solar energy market and sheds light on the opportunities in that industry. The research results show that China controls the supply of primary materials, manufacturing, installed capacity, and recycling capacity. China alone produces at least 80 % of the main components of PVs. Also, more than 30 % of the cumulative installed capacity is in China, the top exporter of manufactured solar PVs in the World with competitive manufacturing costs that reached less than $0.24/W. However, the value chain of the solar panels shows some supply chain issues that might pose potential risks in the future such as the trade barriers and the raw material shortage possibility. The article also presents recycling opportunities.