Solar container industry policies in various regions

Should PV supply chains be localized and maintained?

Overall, localizing and maintaining PV supply chains will depend not only on investment, but also on rapidly expanding the available workforce. Global supply chains also feature strong environmental and social trade-offs.

What role will China play in the solar PV supply chain?

However, irrespective of European regional goals, China will maintain a predominant role in the solar PV supply chain due to the advantages of manufacturing capacity and costs, and the need to expand global capacity by over 1.5 times.

Why does China need a stable policy framework for solar PV market development?

The central government has placed significant emphasis on renewable energy, particularly solar PV technology. China's rapidly growing PV industry greatly benefited from the domestic supportive polices. Hence, maintaining stable policy framework and expectations is pivotal for market development .

Can Europe regain a missed opportunity with a solar PV supply chain?

Building up the solar PV supply chain can also be seen as a chance for Europe to regain a missed opportunity: the initial wave of solar PV adoption was led by European demand and, for a time, Germany's manufacturing was a competitive supplier 4.

Is open trade a key factor in achieving low-cost solar photovoltaic supply chains?

Our results highlight that an open trade policy is key to minimizing costs, even when considering security and environmental supply chain objectives. Cui et al. find that open trade policy is a key factor for achieving low-cost solar photovoltaic supply chains.

How do we analyze the global PV supply chain?

To analyze the global PV supply chain and identify potential transformations, we develop an optimization-based supply chain model for PV production (Methods). This model follows the real-world trend of cost-driven decision-making in production and trade, while also supporting policies that promote local supply and job creation.