Overcapacity problems raised at SolarPlaza’s conference

September 15, 2008
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

At the recently held Global PV Demand Conference, hosted by SolarPlaza, attendees raised concern over the potential overcapacity in the photovoltaics industry having a significant impact, starting in 2009.

Conference attendees expect the PV industry to generate MW output growth levels of 72 percent in both 2008 and 2009, while demand for PV is expected to grow by 34 percent between 2008 and 2011. Such projections would result in supply being twice as great as actual global demand, resulting in a significant fall in prices across the supply chain and a period of industry consolidation.

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

According to a presentation by the Prometheus Institute, the supply of crystalline and thin-film modules could reach almost 15GW in 2010 and 23.7GW in 2012, up from 3.1GW in 2007.

SolarPlaza’s own expert, Edwin Koot, projected that demand could reach 40GWp per year by 2018, based on grid parity being reached in certain favorable markets in 2012.

Read Next

January 12, 2026
UAE state-run renewables developer Masdar has signed a power purchase agreement for a 150MW solar PV project in Angola.
January 12, 2026
Norwegian independent power producer Scatec has signed a power purchase agreement for 1.95GW of PV and 3.9GWh of BESS capacity in Egypt.
January 12, 2026
Parts of China saw Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI) reach 20% more than the long-term average (LTA) figures in 2025.
January 12, 2026
Solar PV solutions provider Nextpower has finalised its Saudi joint venture formation, Nextpower Arabia, which is building a manufacturing facility in the country.
January 12, 2026
US metals firm Comstock has completed all the necessary permits to build a solar module recycling facility in Nevada.
Premium
January 12, 2026
December 2025 saw record solar generation in Australia's NEM, with rooftop and utility-scale solar surging, but pricing volatility persisted.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland