Utility business models face increasing competition from new businesses that aim to monetise the user value of solar PV.

Whereas businesses focusing on utility-scale solar PV embrace the YieldCo, other focus on distributed solar PV and explore integration, aggregation, and empowerment.

PV costs have declined substantially faster than anticipated by many and are today below the levels projected for 2030 at the time the European Commission presented its 2nd Strategic Energy Review in 2008.

While it is speculative to predict future growth rates for the solar PV manufacturing base, its present order of magnitude, approximating 50 GW/year, is already structurally changing markets.

In a strategic world, demand for and supply of PV modules is not only determined by the market, but also by governments that consider PV manufacturing a strategic industry.

This CIEP reports explores recent developments in the solar PV value chain.