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IPVEA to study global solar PV supply chain

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Harmeet
New Update

USA: The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA), the premiere trade organization supporting and enabling Upstream Solar and energy storage professionals worldwide, has announced a new initiative - "IPVEA study on optimizing the worldwide solar PV supply chain" - to maximize the potential for PV commerce in all corners of the world.

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IPVEA is partnering with Solar PV Consulting to embark on this groundbreaking research, whose aim is globally stimulate and meet demand for solar PV installations.

IPVEA and Solar PV Consulting experts estimate that the solar PV industry currently is losing annually an estimated USD$400-500 million, due to an un-optimized supply chain. Projected losses can exceed $1 billion by 2018 if nothing is done to improve the way the industry does business (*based on IHS forecast that annual installations will surpass 100 GW in 2018).

"It's imperative we draw the industry's collective attention into the field of supply chain/value chain management, the backbone of any robust global operating organization," says Bryan Ekus, MD of IPVEA. "Stable processes that can be easily scalable are the key to support global rapid sales expansion."

Fatima Toor, Research analyst, Solar Components Intelligence at Lux Research and co-chairwoman of the Supervisory Industry and Experts Committee of the study, comments: "Solar PV industry is projected to grow significantly in the next few years - in terms of volumes and diversity of new markets. Coinciding with this growth new supply chain challenges are certain to emerge for solar companies, rightfully concerned about unnecessary spending and potential loss of credibility with stakeholders such as investors, EPCs (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) and end customers, all of whom strive to avoid delays in delivery."

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