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Global strategies in the photovoltaic industry : How to promote solar in industrialized and emerging countries

180 Degrees Consulting at UBC

Clean energy and environmental sustainability have been at the core of economic, political, and technological discussions as the world taps into a new generation of prosperity and innovation. A major contributor to such a re-imagined green future needs to involve the omnipresent solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. To the average person, the concept of converting energy from the sun (photons) into electricity is relatively simple to understand. Some have even questioned why we have such readily available technology that has yet to be deployed at a much larger scale. The complexities lie in the high level of competition amongst many small players occupying various components of the supply chain. Such competition has its benefits in providing very attractive pricing for consumers of solar PV but also has its drawbacks in limiting investment of such technologies in markets with attractive government policies. Despite such challenges in adoption, there is ample evidence for optimism in the growth of the solar PV industry globally. Investment into the research and development of more efficient PV technologies has continued to thrive alongside increased government support for both producers and consumers of PV. The degree of government intervention, however, differs greatly from country to country. For investors and operators looking to undertake a strategic move in this sector, a detailed analysis of factors related to politics, macroeconomics, and competency of the grid is required. This whitepaper offers a guideline to the most recent information on relevant government practices, barriers to entry, and reliability of the grid for a) large, industrialized countries such as the United States, Italy, and Germany, b) smaller developed countries such as Australia, The Netherlands, and Chile, and c) emerging countries such as Mexico, South Africa, and Brazil.1 We explore adoption strategies using case studies of countries that have successfully capitalized on drivers such as lowering manufacturing costs, investing in research and development (R & D), lobbying, litigation, and other political activities that can potentially shape policy frameworks and help navigate barriers.

Text

2022-07-15

Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82153

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/