Summary of equipment manufacturing in the solar container sector

How many companies in Europe manufacture solar PV modules?

Today, at least 38 companies are active in Europe manufacturing the equipment and machinery that produces vital steps of the solar PV module supply chain, including cells, ingots, wafers, and polysilicon. EU Clean Industrial Deal: Opportunity for renewables and European manufacturing

How has global solar PV manufacturing capacity changed over the last decade?

Global solar PV manufacturing capacity has increasingly moved from Europe, Japan and the United States to China over the last decade. China has invested over USD 50 billion in new PV supply capacity – ten times more than Europe − and created more than 300 000 manufacturing jobs across the solar PV value chain since 2011.

What does the new EU report 'solar production equipment' mean for solar PV?

The new report „Solar Production Equipment – Key players in the EU’s industrial ecosystem for solar PV’“ explores the European capacity to manufacture the equipment and machinery that produces at each stage of the solar module manufacturing process.

How many jobs will the solar PV industry create?

The solar PV industry could create 1 300 manufacturing jobs for each gigawatt of production capacity. The solar PV sector has the potential to double its number of direct manufacturing jobs to 1 million by 2030. The most job-intensive segments along the PV supply chain are module and cell manufacturing.

Can solar PV Manufacturing expand China's supply chain?

Solar PV manufacturing was among the industries targeted, with the aim of expanding China’s manufacturing capabilities throughout the entire supply chain.

How to increase solar PV manufacturing capacity?

Due to the current geographical concentration of the solar PV supply chain, the majority of skilled personnel is based in China and Southeast Asia, so diversification will require a concerted effort to train new employees. Thus, any strategy to increase PV manufacturing capacity must include a workforce training component.