Figure 3.2 Photovoltaic Cell and Module Shipments by Type, 2003-2007
The performance of a photovoltaic cell/module can be described in terms of its energy conversion efficiency, the percentage of incident solar energy (input) that the cell converts to electricity (output) under standard rating conditions. In 2007, the average energy conversion efficiencies were as follows: crystalline silicon (single crystal) PV cell/module, 17 percent; crystalline silicon (cast) PV cell/module, 14 percent; crystalline silicon (ribbon) PV cell/module, 12 percent; thin-film (amorphous silicon) PV cell/module, 8 percent; thin-film other (special photovoltaic material such as CdTe, and CIGS) PV cell/module, 12 percent; and concentrator PV cell/module, 35 percent (Table 3.8).
Photovoltaic Cell and Module Shipments
Photovoltaic (PV) cell and module shipments reached 517,684 peak kilowatts in 2007, a 53 percent increase from the 2006 shipments of 337,268 peak kilowatts. Cell shipments accounted for 23,535 peak kilowatts, while module shipments accounted for 494,148 peak kilowatts (Figure 3.1 and Table 3.3). Shipments of cells have generally declined over the past decade, while module shipments have increased more than tenfold.
Despite the shift in focus to thin-film technologies, crystalline silicon cells and modules continued to dominate the PV industry in 2007, accounting for 60 percent of the total shipments (Table 3.5). However, this represents a considerable decline from its 76 percent market share in 2005. In particular, single-crystal silicon totaled 128,542 peak kilowatts, an increase of more than 50 percent compared with corresponding 2006 shipments. Cast and ribbon silicon shipments total 181,788 peak kilowatts in 2007, nearly a 23 percent increase from the corresponding 2006 shipments.
Shipments of thin-film PV doubled to 202,519 peak kilowatts in 2007, compared to 101,766 peak kilowatts in 2005. The market share for thin-film PV has grown rapidly over the past several years. In 2007, thin-film accounted for nearly 40 percent of the market, compared to approximately 10 percent in 2003 (Figure 3.3 and Table 3.5). If thin-film PV continues at its same growth rate (doubling in each of the past four years), its market share may surpass that of crystalline silicon PV by 2010.
Figure 3.3 Crystalline Silicon Shipment and Thin-Film Shipment Market Shares, 1998-2007
Over the last few years, there has been increasing interest in concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology. Although concentrator shipments only accounted for about 1 percent of the total in 2007, the shipments of 4,835 peak kilowatts are noteworthy, representing an increase of 144 percent when compared with corresponding 2006 shipments (Table 3.5).
Total Revenue and Average Price
Total revenue of photovoltaic cell and module shipments grew 49 percent from $1.16 billion in 2006 to $1.72 billion in 2007 (Table 3.6). Revenue includes charges for cooperative advertising and warranties, but does not include excise taxes and the cost of freight or transportation[1].
The average price for modules (dollars per peak watt) decreased about 4 percent, from $3.50 in 2006 to $3.37 in 2007. For cells, the average price increased more than 9 percent, from $2.03 in 2006 to $2.22 in 2007.
Figure 3.4 Photovoltaic Cell and Module Average Prices, 2003-2007
Domestic Shipments
Rising energy costs during the past few years and the public perception of potentially large energy savings combined with the availability of various incentives have increased the demand for PV. During 2007, domestic shipments continued to surge rapidly, totaling 280,475 peak kilowatts, nearly a 36 percent increase from 206,511 peak kilowatts in 2006 (Table 3.2).
In 2007, domestic shipments to the commercial sector accounted for 140,434 peak kilowatts or 50 percent of the domestic market. Of the domestic shipments to the commercial sector, 81 percent were crystalline silicon, and about 19 percent were thin-film PV. Less than 0.2 percent was concentrator PV (Table 3.7). The residential sector was the second-largest domestic market in the United States in 2007, accounting for 68,417 peak kilowatts or about 24 percent of the domestic market share. This market purchased 80 percent crystalline silicon and 20 percent thin-film PV. The electric power sector, with 13 percent of domestic shipments, was the third-largest domestic sales market, totaling 35,294 peak kilowatts. About 93 percent were crystalline silicon, 5 percent were thin-film PV, and 2 percent were concentrator PV. Shipments to the industrial sector amounted to 32,702 peak kilowatts, or about 12 percent of the domestic market share. Crystalline silicon accounted for 67 percent of the industrial shipments and thin-film PV accounted for 33 percent.
Electricity generation, which consists of both grid-interactive (those connected to the electric power grid)[2] and remote applications (those not connected), continues to be the predominant end use for PV cells and modules. In 2007, PV cell and module shipments to the electric generation market totaled 263,968 peak kilowatts or about 94 percent of domestic shipments. Domestic shipments to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and transportation end uses were the second and third-largest end uses, respectively, totaling more than 3 percent. Domestic shipments to consumer goods and health end users hold small market shares, totaling less than 0.4 percent (Table 3.7).
During 2007, PV shipments to installers, the largest customer type, totaled 110,009 peak kilowatts, nearly 40 percent of the domestic market share. Shipments to the second-largest customer type, wholesale distributors, amounted to 109,015 peak kilowatts, or nearly 39 percent of the domestic market share (Table 3.4).
Complete Systems
A complete PV system is defined as a power supply unit that satisfies all the power requirements of an application. Such a system is made up of different components, including one or more PV modules, a power conditioning unit to process the electricity into the form needed by the application, wires, and other electrical connectors. Batteries for back-up power supply are an option. Some large-scale PV systems use concentrators to focus incident insolation onto small PV cells and tracking systems to track the sun. These large-scale systems convert sunlight directly into electricity and produce the greatest amounts of power during the afternoon, when electricity demand is high.
During 2007, the number of shipments of complete PV systems decreased sharply to 10,600 systems from 67,172 systems in 2006. In contrast, the total value of complete systems increased 155 percent to $491.7 million in 2007. The total peak kilowatts of complete system surged from 28,099 in 2006 to 80,560 in 2007 (Table 3.15). These statistics indicate companies are becoming more involved in developing larger PV systems with high demand and market growth potential.
Origin of Shipments
Imports of PV cells and modules totaled 238,018 peak kilowatts or 46 percent of total shipments in 2007 (Table 3.11). The predominant type of import shipment was crystalline silicon cells and modules, accounting for 90 percent (214,457 peak kilowatts) of total imports. Japan, China, and Germany accounted for 85 percent of total imports (Table 3.12).
In 2007, a total of 279,666 peak kilowatts of PV cells and modules were manufactured in the United States; manufacturers in Ohio, Michigan, California, and Maryland produced 85 percent of total (Table 3.9).
Destination of Shipments
Exports of PV cells and modules totaled 237,209 peak kilowatts in 2007, an 81 percent increase from the 2006 exports of 130,757 peak kilowatts (Table 3.13). The predominant type of export shipment was thin-film cells and modules, accounting for about 63 percent (149,977 peak kilowatts) of total exports. The export market accounted for 46 percent of total shipments and was dominated by sales to Germany (more than 64 percent of exports), Spain (about 13 percent), and Italy (about 4 percent) (Table 3.14).
In 2007, a total of 280,475 peak kilowatts of domestic PV cell and module shipments went to all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico (Table 3.10). About 86 percent of domestic PV cell and module shipments (241,712 peak kilowatts) went to five States: California, Nevada, Colorado, New Jersey, and Arizona, with 75 percent (209,031 peak kilowatts) of the total shipments sent to California and Nevada.
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