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Supply of solar panels is not a problem, but other bottlenecks have emerged in installation, according to a report by Clean Energy Associates. Clean Energy Associates (CEA) released a report on the global supply of photovoltaic cells and modules, noting that the US supply chain is “more than sufficient” for current levels of deployment. The report noted that a slow Q2 and Q3 for deployment in 2024 has led to a sufficient level of PV import supply. However, CEA highlighted two potential bottlenecks for the installation in the United States: the supply of transformers and the lack of qualified labor. CEA noted that U.S. utilities have restrictions on the types of transformers that can be used in regional projects. These restrictions typically require non-Chinese equipment. However, the supply of transformers outside of China is limited and not ready for mass production at scale. Most foreign transformer companies compete with China, are conservative in their expansions, and transformers are labor-intensive and highly customized to order, the report said. CEA noted that transformer suppliers have announced significant expansions for new manufacturing in the United States, but it will take several years for new manufacturing to come online and support demand growth. As for labour shortages, this problem is less pronounced, CEA said. The number of workers available per job in the construction sector remains close to parity, with 1.09 workers available per job. CEA said that although there is currently no shortage of workers, the relative parity means that there are sometimes labour bottlenecks for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies to meet an increasing number of projects. CEAs Global Supply Report covers a wide range of issues related to solar energy manufacturing and supply. The report notes that the average winning bid for module supply in the Chinese market is around $0.10 per W. It also highlights that almost all new public tenders are for n-type solar products, with HJT at a higher price. In addition, bifacial products, or solar modules that capture and convert sunlight on both sides, have achieved price premiums due to their higher performance compared to monofacial modules. |
