Premium

INSIGHT: Solving solar’s scale dilemma, proper digitalisation and learning lessons from wind

July 28, 2021
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Solar must rapidly scale up deployments this decade. Image: Verano.

Recent reports have highlighted the solar industry’s need to quickly shift gear, with global installs needing to treble this decade to contribute towards net zero initiatives.

But growing at that speed and scale poses its own issues, and with some in the industry doubting the long-term potential of continued cost declines in solar modules and other components, solar must address other costs, such as ‘soft’ costs of development and ongoing operational costs, to realise its potential.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

PV Tech Premium speaks to Vassilis Papaeconomou, managing director at renewables service provider Alectris, to learn how the solar industry can scale up efficiently, what asset owners and operators need to be aware of when buzzwords such as ‘digitalisation’ and ‘artificial intelligence’ are mentioned, and what the industry might learn from more mature technologies such as wind.

9 March 2027
Location To Be Confirmed
PV CellTech Global will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. Join us in Q1 of 2027

Read Next

April 23, 2026
US-based forecasting company Amperon has launched a new AI-based short-term probabilistic forecasting tool for solar and wind generation assets.
Premium
April 17, 2026
PV Talk: Toyo's Rhone Resch talks about the company’s US strategy and its work to build a localised, vertically-integrated supply chain.
April 1, 2026
South Australia could see its peak load double from 3.3GW today to 6.5-7GW by 2040, driven by data centres, green steel and hydrogen demand.
March 31, 2026
GameChange Solar has completed testing of its Genius Tracker system, which yielded results of no 'meaningful power loss' in most tests.
Premium
March 27, 2026
PV Tech spoke with Maximo on the use of robotic solar installation solution at AES' Bellefield utility-scale project and upcoming trends in PV robotics.
Premium
March 27, 2026
Arthur Cao outlines how fresh approaches are needed to ensuretracker-based PV systems are designed adequately to avoid unnecessary failures.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
May 27, 2026
9am BST / 10am CEST
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
June 3, 2026
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain