Till lately, buying photo voltaic modules inside Europe had been comparatively easy owing to the dearth of any significant tariffs or duties on cells or modules made in China. Nonetheless, that is now altering drastically and is being stimulated by corporates which can be having to think about ESG points and manufacturing origin. Throughout Europe, module consumers are actually asking the identical questions on module suppliers which were a part of due diligence processes by US consumers for the previous few years.
Whereas the US is now handing out subsidies to home producers as a way to stimulate Made-in-America merchandise, the prospects for a producing revival taking place in Europe are nonetheless forming. European manufacturing has been decimated prior to now decade, with most ‘native’ module suppliers merely being resellers (distributors) of made-in-China elements.
If the PV market in Europe was dominated by rooftop (and particularly residential) installers, this might not be a significant concern. However the PV trade in Europe (like the remainder of the world) is now a company and institutionally funded power sector and ESG is now a subject that has board-level precedence and is non-negotiable.
These subjects are set to dominate the primary European staging of PV-Tech’s highly-regarded PV ModuleTech convention collection, as a result of be held quickly in Malaga, Spain on 29-30 November 2022. The checklist of subjects, audio system and attendees for this occasion have been chosen particularly to assist European module consumers immediately and learn how to finest cope with provider deliverables over the subsequent few years.
Inside this text, I talk about in additional element why module provider choice by European-based entities is proving so arduous to grasp absolutely and why consumers have to get back-to-basics when it comes to studying who-makes-what and the place by way of the value-chain. Additionally, I attempt to put some perspective on what might be anticipated within the short-term relating to European-made product for utility-scale photo voltaic farms.
Brushed underneath the carpet for manner too lengthy
The final time Europe had significant module capability was when SolarWorld was a number one participant within the sector a couple of decade in the past. The corporate had been instrumental in Europe setting a Minimal Import Value (MIP) on modules being made in China and shipped to Europe – the one time Europe had a collective tactic to try to restimulate home manufacturing.
Nonetheless, earlier than MIP had time to sink in, the market was flooded by modules made in Southeast Asia and ultimately there was little-to-no home manufacturing left to save lots of and the MIP was scrapped. Thereafter, it was again to business-as-usual and Europe grew to become an open door for modules (and all sub-components) being made in China.
And to indicate how banal the entire train was, module producers inside Europe that had beforehand made modules then began to outsource to China and relabel with phrases resembling ‘Engineered in Europe’ or ‘Designed in Europe’. In-house ‘capability’ then modified to warehouse measurement (as if a distributor) or testing functionality (as if a third-party lab).
As module buying in Europe reverted to purchasing direct from China, different modifications have been taking place upstream inside China’s manufacturing phase. Polysilicon crops have been being established and expanded throughout China (together with Xinjiang). Ingot and wafer manufacturing was changing into dominant, to the purpose the place about 99% of wafers produced for photo voltaic cells have been made-in-China.
Lastly, the supply-chains for module suppliers modified radically, as corporations that had beforehand made wafers and cells in-house began to depend on the wafer/cell powerhouses that had been created domestically (resembling Tongwei and Aiko).
As such, shopping for a module from a provider (and doing a manufacturing facility audit on a module fab) was simply the tip of the iceberg when it got here to part origin-of-manufacture (polysilicon, ingot, wafer and cells). Right this moment, solely a fraction of module suppliers make their very own photo voltaic cells. Even fewer (lower than a handful) make their very own ingots and wafers. And just one credible silicon-based module provider (Tongwei) has fully-integrated poly/ingot/wafer/cell/module in-house capability, albeit absolutely primarily based in China.
ESG apart, the necessity to know who-makes-what-where has by no means been extra necessary. And this consists of the module in instances the place suppliers are contracting out module construct to OEM’s (or utilizing opponents’ manufacturing strains for OEM product).
Now, while you add within the want for ultra-scrutiny of the important thing BoM elements (uncooked supplies, polysilicon, ingot, wafer and cell manufacturing), it’s clear to see why 1) so many module suppliers are reluctant or can’t give ensures on future modules equipped and a pair of) how a lot of a dilemma this poses for the trade as an entire, however European consumers particularly that haven’t been pressured to think about this prior to now.
It could be good to know that the trade had discovered from US module consumers over the previous decade, the place AD/CVD, Part 201 and Xinjiang points have been paramount to due-diligence for a few years. Nonetheless, the truth is that US module consumers have had an extremely difficult time understanding simply how the silicon-based sector is working relating to value-chain manufacturing.
Nonetheless, globally the scenario isn’t as bleak as it might sound. A number of high-volume module consumers have been forward of the sport relating to ESG for a couple of years and do have shopping for procedures in place. Nonetheless, in lots of instances, they run into issues when making an attempt to get visibility on upstream manufacturing – particularly if they’re merely shopping for from an organization that solely assembles/sells the module.
Once more, it comes right down to figuring out firstly – for each module provider – what are they really making themselves (the place one has to imagine they’ve management over manufacturing). Then it’s a lot simpler to ask the best questions. For instance, if there’s doubt over cell provide, don’t even trouble asking about wafer or polysilicon manufacturing. And even the place there’s good visibility on earlier cell provide (and associated upstream levels), is there not a excessive diploma of threat about how these third-party supply-chains will look in 12-18 months when modules are as a result of be delivered?
In some ways, module shopping for is being reset now and the trade is studying how to do that to have the ability to stand by buying selections when they’re scrutinized at any level sooner or later. Inexperienced power wants inexperienced shopping for, so to talk. And it is a problem that finally can solely be solved by each module suppliers and module consumers.
The one downside is that there doesn’t appear to be a transparent route for this to occur immediately. Presumably it wants some form of further (impartial) stakeholder to make this occur, making a template for module shopping for that may be managed by way of this transition part, and never merely a guidebook that cuts off module provide globally till everyone seems to be completely satisfied. There is no such thing as a scarcity of third-parties in search of to fill this hole, however this can be very arduous to symbolize each side of the talk (module suppliers and module consumers).
The Malaga occasion on 29-30 November hopefully will set the stage for constructive dialogue with this subject being the only most asked-for at any of the PV ModuleTech occasions we have now held but.
The way forward for PV modules Engineered-in-Europe and Made-in-Europe
Home manufacturing for home consumption. This isn’t a brand new idea by any means, however immediately it does have a brand new which means.
Prior to now, it was pushed by creating native jobs and never permitting one nation to regulate the trade by pricing everybody else out of the market. That is nonetheless the case when politicians and trade advocates champion new concepts to stimulate home manufacturing, however now it’s being pushed by a better energy.
Home manufacturing is now seen as a manner of de-risking world supply-chain unknowns and in having self-control over manufacturing practices which can be 100% compliant with every thing optimistic arising from ESG insurance policies.
And now that photo voltaic PV has matured as a number one low-cost renewable power supply, management of home manufacturing is implicit relating to power safety and once more de-risking from any over-reliance on importing power from different international locations or areas.
Checked out from these new views, one might say that the manufacturing incentives being launched within the US are a case of spending pennies to save lots of kilos, or just paying into an insurance coverage coverage for the longer term.
How that is achieved in Europe isn’t fairly as straightforward as it’s within the US. Europe isn’t a rustic per se, and no-one probably desires to return down the import tariffs path once more. For certain, there are some credible plans being proposed by EU advocates and on paper these appear like potential game-changers, however nonetheless many module consumers will not be satisfied and might want to see actual manufacturing facility ground-breaking exercise earlier than constructing new suppliers in to long-term buying plans.
Monetary incentives apart, Europe probably must go additional down the carbon-footprint and sustainable-manufacturing path, by means of laws that each prohibits (or severely curtails) imports but additionally recompenses home producers that will in any other case fail to make a revenue within the present (or future) world module gross sales pricing setting.
In some ways, being pressured down this path could be the best method on the proper time in historical past. And there are precedents for this being achieved in Europe, albeit country-specific (France).
Merely counting on new producers to ramp up multi-GW’s of wafer/cell/module capability tomorrow in Europe and count on them to outlive profitably may very well be wishful considering. Some entities might be able to bankroll a loss-making manufacturing facility if its PV revenues are within the noise in comparison with general group turnover, however this isn’t viable long-term and module suppliers finally have to have the ability to keep afloat primarily based on making revenue promoting modules.
The excellent news is that there are lots of encouraging noises coming from round Europe immediately and we are going to little doubt see how these match into an general technique extra throughout 2023.
However for the module purchaser in Europe immediately that desires 3 GW of minimal-risk module provide for utility-scale photo voltaic farm build-outs throughout 2023-2025, for instance, phrases of aspiration haven’t any nice worth. Subsequently, how can module consumers in Europe finest think about what’s more likely to actually unfold with home manufacturing going ahead? What are the lifelike timelines? What would be the main indicators that value-chain manufacturing is beginning to ramp up?
All key questions once more, and – no shock right here – most likely the second most requested subject for the PV ModuleTech occasion in Malaga! So we’re planning to handle this on the occasion by way of a variety of displays and discussions over the 2 days.
Collaborating in PV ModuleTech in Malaga
We made the choice to have a European-based PV ModuleTech occasion earlier in 2022, however we definitely didn’t think about that the subjects of the occasion would turn out to be so necessary so rapidly, when it comes to module shopping for in Europe.
There are nonetheless some ways for corporations to take part within the occasion on 29-30 November 2022, together with a couple of panel slots for voicing issues (or giving options!) and varied multi-ticket choices for corporations wanting a number of folks to attend as visitors. Take a look at the agenda and choices on the hyperlink here.
In case you can’t come, then hopefully you’ve a colleague in southern Europe that will likely be more than pleased to stand-in! As soon as the occasion is over, I’ll definitely return to those themes on PV-Tech with some findings from the occasion.
