Solar support industry chain

What is the supply chain for solar PV?

The supply chain for solar PV has two branches in the United States: crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV, which made up 84% of the U.S. market in 2020, and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film PV, which made up the remaining 16%. The supply chain for c-Si PV starts with the refining of high-purity polysilicon.

How can solar PV supply chain diversification reduce supply chain risks?

Because diversification is one of the key strategies for reducing supply chain risks, the report assesses the opportunities and challenges of developing solar PV supply chains in terms of job creation, investment requirements, manufacturing costs, emissions and recycling.

What is the c-Si solar supply chain?

As evaluated in the PV supply chain review, the domestic c-Si solar manufacturing sector is composed primarily of established polysilicon production facilities and some c-Si module assembly plants relying predominantly on imported components.

How can US solar industry reduce its reliance on foreign supply chains?

Reducing the U.S. solar industry’s reliance on a concentrated foreign supply chain and improving domestic competitiveness would help to manage the risks associated with the current PV module supply chain. Three supply chain scenarios that could achieve these goals include: Majority domestic with mature technologies.

How big is the solar supply chain?

Sufficient initial scale for competitiveness of the silicon supply chain would be approximately 20 GW dc in annual capacity. With the additional announced and existing CdTe capacity of 10 GW dc, the overall U.S. solar manufacturing capacity would be 30 GW dc.

Are solar PV supply chains cost-competitive?

Currently, the cost competitiveness of existing solar PV manufacturing is a key challenge to diversifying supply chains. China is the most cost-competitive location to manufacture all components of the solar PV supply chain. Costs in China are 10% lower than in India, 20% lower than in the United States, and 35% lower than in Europe.