May 12 2009
Research Analysts’ new report on the German Solar Photovoltaic Market defines how recent changes in the global economic climate and national political support will see the dawn of a period of intense competition as the solar photovoltaic (PV) power industry nears grid parity.
Although Germany’s geographical position on the world map does not make it an ideal location for solar energy due to it receiving only moderate levels of solar radiation, it ranks second place in the PV market, generating about one quarter of the total world market. In absolute terms, Germany produced some 4,300 GWh of PV power in 2008, up from just 557 GWh in 2004. Over the past few years, the German PV industry has grown significantly, having more than quadrupled its turnover in the past four years alone from €1,645 million in 2004 to some €7,000 million in 2008.
The recent expansion of capacity at all stages in the German PV value chain has resulted in an increase in the availability of modules. Consequently, the industry is observing a significant reduction in prices and a shift from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. The report shows how such dynamic changes in the marketplace will trigger a new era of competition. The major players include Aleo Solar AG, Centrosolar Group AG, centrotherm photovoltaics AG, Colexon Energy AG, ersol Solar Energy AG, First Solar, Masdar PV GmbH, Q-Cells AG, Solar-Fabrik AG, SolarWorld AG, SAG Solarstrom AG, Solon SE, Schott Solar GmbH and Sunways AG.
The strength of the report lies in the analysis of German PV value chain, providing detailed company specific information on nearly 50 key players competing in the market, including manufacturers of silicon, wafers, cells, modules, Poly-Si, a-Si, CIS, CIGS, CdTe and CPV-based PV technologies.