AS Published on Tuesday 30 May 2023 - n° 447 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the decline in PV prices in 2023
There's been a lot of talk about the fall in prices since the start of the year! We wanted to find out how and where this decline was taking place. We compared the averages published by the three research consultancies that publish weekly prices for silicon, wafers, cells and panels between 14 December 2022 and 24 May 2023. Comparisons between these three different sources did not reveal any major discrepancies. Above all, a trend is emerging: the sharp fall in silicon prices over these five months is easing as we get closer to the final panel.
L R AS Published on Tuesday 23 May 2023 - n° 446 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the two photovoltaic plant projects
Listening to the reactions to the words of the President of the Republic on the occasion of the relaunch of the industrialisation of France, one wonders in what world we live, or rather the content of the PV projects presented intrigues. It seems that words are more important than action, that speeches avoid organising daily life, that the presentation of projects is more important than their realisation. We look at the words, but not at the people who say them. No attempt is made to determine whether the professional quality is sufficient to achieve the objective, the project, the mission. They don't want to judge relevance, but rely solely on the eloquence of the speaker. And we want to save money?
L R AS Published on Tuesday 16 May 2023 - n° 445 - Categories:PV Watch, News of the Month
What to remember this week on 14 May 2023
The point in evidence The point: will France and Europe have too many battery production plants?
Mr Macron was particularly pleased to be able to announce the installation of two battery production units in northern France. He was even beaming.
These two new units are in addition to all those that have announced their arrival in Europe. In February 2022, there were already 35 of them. The number has grown since then. Their long-term survival depends on the agreement with one or more electric vehicle manufacturers and on the supply of raw materials. This rush of battery manufacturers into the European market will considerably increase the demand for components and metals. Two questions arise: will there be enough supply to satisfy the purchases of these factories? And secondly, will the price of these batteries be sufficiently reduced for buyers to be tempted by electric vehicles?
A look at the announcement of two new battery production units in France
1st important point VDMA provides a relevant perspective on the PV industry
Some aspects of the PV industry by VDMA
Secondary point 2 There are two phases in the technological advancement of photovoltaics in particular: A research phase that can last several years. Once progress has been made, such as a 22% - 23% conversion rate by 2022-2023, developers take over to move from a few square centimetres to a 2m² panel or more. Meanwhile, new research avenues are being explored to determine the solution(s) to be pursued
The effectiveness of PV research: moving towards implementation of successes
3rd point (subsidiary) Batteries for electric vehicles are subject to the availability of raw materials. The price of raw materials will determine the production cost of the battery and therefore the success or failure of electric vehicles.
Lithium salt has been falling for several months and is starting to recover
Other interesting points :
Is there a match between energy production and demand in industry?
The choice to replace Russian gas: a bad decision?
L R AS Published on Tuesday 16 May 2023 - n° 445 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the announcement of two new battery production units in France
Mr Macron was particularly pleased to be able to announce the installation of two battery production units in the North of France. He was even beaming.
These two new units are in addition to all those that have announced their arrival in Europe. In February 2022, there were already 35 of them. The number has grown since then. Their long-term survival depends on the agreement with one or more electric vehicle manufacturers and on the supply of raw materials. This rush of battery manufacturers into the European market will considerably increase the demand for components and metals. Two questions therefore arise: will there be enough supply to satisfy the purchases of these factories? And secondly, will the price of these batteries be sufficiently reduced for buyers to be tempted by electric vehicles?
L R AS Published on Tuesday 9 May 2023 - n° 444 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the financing of power plants
The secret of the financing and profitability of solar and wind power plants is largely well kept, at least in France. It is therefore an event to have an international study that gives figures, even if they date from 2020. Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine and the rise in energy prices have subsequently diminished the interest of the IRENA study.
It appears that the rate of financing of power plants is very different from one country to another, and depending on the technology.
Is this a cause or a consequence? The financing rate appears to be lower in countries where many plants have been installed. It seems that the lower the rate, the easier it was to finance! A rate of 1%, 5% or 10% for the construction of a plant creates a different situation.
L R AS Published on Monday 1 May 2023 - n° 443 - Categories:PV Watch, Germany
A look at photovoltaics in Germany
There is a convergence between the decisions of the German government, which wants to turn the page on gas, coal and nuclear power in favour of renewable energies, and a population that has suffered from high electricity prices and wants to reduce the burden of its energy bill.
This convergence has led to a large number of decisions to reduce the cost of photovoltaics on the one hand, and a public opinion that supports the national objective on the other, not just out of patriotism, but out of a personal interest in reducing the energy bill. The result was a series of political decisions along these lines, a research and development policy exemplified by Fraunhofer, and strong domestic demand combining panels and storage, the use of heat pumps and so on.
This combination, which will reduce the cost of energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions, will give Germany a central role in the European Union by boosting the photovoltaic industry. Germany's weight will do the rest, as a driving force in the European economy. The result will be the emergence of a central political player in the Union.
AS Published on Monday 24 April 2023 - n° 442 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the American photovoltaic awakening - will it be followed by a European one?
Every week, new announcements are made about the creation of renewable energy plants in the United States. All the world's manufacturers want to share in the cake that is being presented as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The industrial, but above all economic and social, spin-offs will be considerable. The prospects for renewal, dynamism and potential are staggering.
On the other hand, the European Commission has failed to draw up its industrial recovery plan: too little, badly put together, of no interest. As a result, it has taken refuge in managing details and setting up a paralysing administration.
Germany has launched a feasibility study on rebuilding its photovoltaic industry (in particular), which will be presented and discussed at Intersolar in June. So is this the industrial plan that Europe is waiting for?
AS Published on Monday 17 April 2023 - n° 441 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the silicon economy
For the past two years, the photovoltaic industry has been dominated by a shortage of silicon, and consequently by rising prices. It was only at the end of 2022 that prices began to fall as new production units came on stream. We can expect silicon and the other components of the industry to become more standardised, with the emergence of competitors in the United States and India.
A detailed presentation of the silicon market has been given. We present it to our readers.
AS Published on Wednesday 12 April 2023 - n° 440 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the aspirations of Europe's PV population
The war in Ukraine and dependence on Russian gas have prompted the European Commission to impose a renewable energy development plan. The fact that the war coincided with the end of covid confinement disrupted the comparison of 2021 and 2022 installations. However, it is on the basis of this comparison that the European targets for renewable energy installations in 2025 and, above all, 2030 have been set. Are they reliable?
Above all, apart from the Commission and the European Parliament, who is prepared to commit to achieving these targets?
AS Published on Monday 3 April 2023 - n° 439 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the rupture created by Covid
All economic, social or health crises are periods of rupture. Covid is a good example, but the new world that emerges from the crisis is not always perceptible at the time. Instead, it appears some time later. Whether or not covid was a consequence, the photovoltaic world was shaken by production difficulties, by delivery delays, by the Chinese game of raising prices and profit margins.
Two years later, we can already see the broad outlines of the transformation underway. We are at the beginning of the process, but the new world is already perceptible.
AS Published on Tuesday 28 March 2023 - n° 438 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at RE in French urban communities
The photovoltaic world is primarily interested in the production and installation of panels and in national statistics on electricity production. It rarely looks at the results of these installations, particularly in terms of consumption. France urbaine, Enedis and GRDF had the idea of presenting the evolution of renewable energies in the metropolises, agglomeration communities and urban communities in which 45% of French people live. The idea is that the emergence of renewable energies is also at work in these areas, and that city councillors are seeking to develop their installations to avoid the use of fossil fuels
These three organisations draw up an overview of energy consumption and production in 69 urban areas. This panorama extends the first edition dating from 2017, with data from 2021.
AS Published on Monday 20 March 2023 - n° 437 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the consequences for photovoltaics of the failure of a US bank
The rise in interest rates has already led to the failure of several American banks, which are seeing their investments in Treasury bonds depreciate. One of them, the Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest in the United States, has fallen victim to social networks. As it was internationalised, it is passing on its failure to banks in different countries which will suffer losses. At the same time, the banking world will be temporarily more cautious, more careful about borrowers, more demanding about credit conditions. Photovoltaics will lose out.
AS Published on Wednesday 15 March 2023 - n° 436 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the anticipation of Chinese production capacity
A careful observer is constantly being asked to make announcements of new production units in Chinese photovoltaics, new plans for capacity increases that sometimes follow each other at intervals of two or three months. At the risk of believing that it is the same announcement repeated with a delay!
It is only a question of a well-planned organisation that anticipates a growth in demand and provides for a safety margin that is often double the manufacturing volume
AS Published on Tuesday 7 March 2023 - n° 435 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the Chinese PV industry (continued: silicon)
Having perceived the interest in photovoltaics before the rest of the world, the Chinese authorities organised a control of this sector of activity. They helped, financed and organised the various stages of panel production. Above all, they perceived that control of the upstream (silicon and wafers) allowed them to control the downstream (production of cells and panels). From then on, they allowed a few small panel assembly activities to develop, as if to make people forget their control over the entire industry, while having the possibility of limiting or restricting the expansion of these mini-companies.
The article describes how the Chinese have managed to organise their domination, to take advantage of their hegemony. Only this domination is attracting backlash from India and the US.
The Chinese silicon cartel has its best days behind it
AS Published on Tuesday 28 February 2023 - n° 434 - Categories:PV Watch
A look at the Chinese PV industry
Various Chinese official bodies have just published data on the photovoltaic industry for the year 2022. This is the first year that the data has been published in a systematic way. An effort has been made by the Chinese administration to present the data, but as the data comes from different bodies, some gross errors have crept into the figures. Some of them have been detected. The most important thing is that we can now get an idea of the Chinese PV industry at the end of last year.