Authors

Dr. Matthias Fawer and Balazs Magyar

Research organisation

Bank Sarasin

Download the report

Solar Study 2008

Report Date

November 2008

Release Date

February 2010

Document summary

The photovoltaics industry is in the process of transforming itself from a fledgling business into a mature industry. Global subsidy programmes have peaked in 2008, giving way to a transition period of lower subsidies which could last until grid parity is achieved in key markets. Companies need to slash their costs significantly to make sure that prices keep pace with falling feed-in tariffs. This is the only way of ensuring that demand weans itself off state support and continues to expand. Thin-film technologies in particular are maturing quickly and can expand their market share significantly, thanks to cost advantages. Large-scale systems based on photovoltaics and solar thermal power are becoming more popular, but also offer very diverse cost/benefit ratios. The global market for solar collectors is likely to remain extremely volatile for the time being, and would benefit from greater consistency.