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Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Over the past five years, solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments from China and Taiwan have grown from 6% to 54% global market share, while U.S. shipments have slipped from 9% to 6% market share. Chinese PV companies have gained an international pole position, in part, by achieving the industry's lowest silicon module manufacturing cost. There is also a clear strategic effort on the part of theChinese government to drive an expansion into the high technology enterprises of the future, like solar PV, by offering strong state support. Over the long term, however, several challenges facing the Chinese PV industry may affect its ability to sustain the dominant position. In this analysis we seek to quantify the decision points of two hypothetical solar PV manufacturers that are consideringU.S. and non-U.S. production locations. We consider the full suite of details underlying regional differences in manufacturing including shipping costs, policies of governance and trade, intellectual property protection, and subsidies. Going against conventional wisdom, our analysis shows that the U.S. is a competitive manufacturing location for solar PV modules, in select cases.