European solar manufacturers will need 42 times more annual production capacity of photovoltaic cells if the European Commission's increased ambitions for Made in Europe products are to be met. The American research firm Wood Mackenzie published this number to illustrate how far behind European industry is.
The commission has said it has ambitions to commission at least 420,000 MW of new solar generation capacity this decade in a bid to wean the bloc off Russian gas. WoodMac has estimated that Europe will deliver around 331,000 MW of new solar power by 2031 and this week said the Commission's RePower EU plans have the potential to double that number.
However, the Edinburgh-based research firm pointed out that "almost all" of the 60,000 kilotons of solar panel raw material polysilicon that Wacker Chemie produces each year is exported to China because there is no capacity in Europe. Retaining the product would require 10 times more production capacity, 21 times more cell production lines and three times more solar module , WoodMac estimates.
It said achieving the increased ambition outlined by the commission would require three times more annual polysilicon production capacity, 20 times more wafer lines, 42 times more cell production and six times more module capabilities. Raw material costs for solar panels have driven panel prices up more than 20% in 2021, according to WoodMac. The price of polysilicon has tripled in the past 18 months and is expected to remain “elevated” throughout 2022.
Source: PV – magazine
