PwC also warns against dependence on China in the solar sector

The auditing and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Germany warns against a dependence on China in the implementation of the energy turnaround. Massive investments in the German photovoltaic sector are needed to ensure that Germany does not become dependent on China for energy, according to the findings of a study conducted by PwC entitled »The Solar Revolution - Germany's major future electricity source and what's in it for local supply chains.«
Around 75 percent of all solar modules are currently manufactured in China, compared to only one percent in Europe. The German contribution ranks in the per mille range, he said. »We are currently making great political and economic efforts to break free of our energy dependence on Russia,« warns Heiko Stohlmeyer of PwC: »If we do not want to slip into a new dependence, solar module production in Europe must be massively expanded.«
In July, Frithjof Staiß, executive director of the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), had already warned that the investments »in the order of 150 billion euros« associated with the expansion of photovoltaics would »from today's perspective flow to a large extent to China.« The dependence on Chinese manufacturers represents »a considerable risk« for the realization of the expansion targets.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) also addressed China's dominance in the solar sector in its latest report on the global supply of solar modules and their precursors - cells, wafers and polysilicon. The »Special Report on Solar PV Global Supply Chains« concludes that global climate goals can only be met with a more »diverse« supply chain and that the concentration of production capacity in China stands in the way.
© PHOTON