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EDITORSVIEW
Market responses
D
epending on who you listen to, the financial crisis is over and we can all look
forward to a brilliant rest of the year. Of course this statement relates to market
confidence but the signs are there that strong growth will define the industry for
the next few quarters. Welcome relief for many vendors sweating on their particular pile of tools
or products but market confidence is only one metric. The one many in the PV industry are
really concerned about is subsidies.
Spain was last year’s darling with explosive growth and positive government support. The
almost complete collapse of the market since the subsidies stopped earlier this year is sobering
evidence that the PV industry still requires assistance until its reaches a level of technological and economical
maturity before it is a fully fledged, self sustaining concern. Most companies are anxiously watching out for which
regions are supporting their local PV market and to what extent. Despite massive growth and technological
advancements it would appear this industry support will be required for some time yet.
All this is good for an industry that needs a carrot to push itself along the technological challenges. Grid parity is a
useful metric for some sectors but does not suit all. The PV industry has no ‘Moore’s Law’ like the semiconductor
industry that encompasses the entire potential of photovoltaic manufacturing. Although not a requirement, such
benchmarks are extremely useful for technologies that can only ‘do better’ than before as their primary driver.
3
In all likelihood the PV industry will slowly break up into sectors and segments with each section behaving like an
individual industry, whether it be thin film, silicon, industry or consumer, or event.
www
.solar
That is the future as right now the race is on to find the right solutions for the right sectors. The playing field remains
wide open.
-pv-management.com
David Ridsdale
Editor-in-Chief
Issue V 2009
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