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WASHINGTON, DC, US December 7, 2005 (Refocus
Weekly)
Shipment of solar PV cells and modules rose 65%
in the United States last year, with a five-fold increase in
imports.
“2004 was a big year for photovoltaic cells and modules,
returning to the pattern of strong growth seen between 2000 and
2002,” says the Department of Energy in its annual evaluation of
manufacturing activity in the sector. “Domestic shipments jumped
from 48,664 peak kW to a record 78,346 peak kW, a 61% increase.”
Total shipments of PV cells and modules reached a record high of
181,116 kWp, up 66% from the 109,357 kWp in 2003. Module shipments
increased 79% to 143,274 kWp last year, while cell shipments
increased to 37,842 29,295 kWp. From 2003 to 2004, imports increased
from 9,731 to 47,703 kWp, while exports rose from 60,693 to 102,770
kWp.
The data are gleaned from the annual PV module/cell manufacturers
survey conducted by DOE’s Energy Information Administration.
“The renewed vigor of the PV market was due to advanced development
of innovative technologies, expansion of existing manufacturing
facilities, and the opening of the Sharp PV manufacturing facility
in Memphis, Tennessee,” it states. There were 19 companies involved
in manufacturing photovoltaic products, one less than in 2003, while
three of the largest (including BP Solar, Sharp and Shell Solar)
were the main contributors to the increase.
Thin-film shipments doubled to 21,978 kWp last year over 2003, and
the market share of thin-film shipments has increased from 6% in
2002 to 10% in 2003, to 12% of total shipments last year.
Crystalline silicon remains the majority of the market with 94,899
kWp of single crystal last year (52%) and 64,239 kWp of cast &
ribbon (35%).
While cast & ribbon increased to 35% of the market last year from
26% in 2002, single crystal accounted for 67% in that year. The 452
kWp of concentrator modules shipped in 2003 dropped to 0 last year.
The total value of PV cell & module shipments grew 60% to US$493
million last year, with the average price for modules dropping 8%
from $3.17 per watt in 2003 to $2.93 in 2004. The average price of
cells increased 3% from $1.86 in 2003 to $1.92 in 2004.
“A major change in shipments to end-use markets occurred during
2004,” the report notes. “Grid-interactive electricity generation
became the dominant end-use of PV cells and modules shipped, with a
market share of 71% (129,265 kWp) in 2004 ... compares to just 39%
(42,485 kWp) in 2003.”
If remote applications are included, power generation accounted for
82% of the market share last year, while shipments for
communications dropped from 14,185 to 11,348 kWp and transportation
declined from 14,143 to 1,380 kWp. “Shipments to the consumer goods
sector continued to hold a small market share while increasing from
2,995 kWp in 2003 to 6,444 kWp in 2004.”
The largest recipient category was wholesale distributors, where
shipments rose 62% to 106,400 kWp in 2004. Installers, the
second-largest category, tripled their sales to 34,779 kWp last year
while end-user and exporter categories decreased by 88% and 69%
respectively.
Shipment of complete PV systems trebled from 5,525 in 2003 to 16,990
systems in 2004, mainly due to the introduction of a lightweight,
portable and rugged system by a large vertically-integrated
producer. Total peak kilowatts and value of shipped systems actually
decreased, from 9,545 kWp in 2003 to 8,110 kWp last year, with value
dropping from $50 million to $39 million. “As a result, the value
per system decreased more than 74% in 2004, and the value per kWp
dropped from $5.28 in 2003 to $4.86 in 2004.”
Last year’s strong growth in PV manufacturing caused employment to
rise 12% last year, from 2,590 person-years in 2003 to 2,916 PY in
2004.
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