What if the PV industry doesn't have new glass production plants?

Thousands of new glass manufacturing plants needed for the growing PV industry. As module prices decline, glass makes an even higher fraction of the PV module cost. Without new glass production PV industry could experience shortage within 20 years. Shortage of glass production could drive up the cost especially of thin-film modules.

How many solar modules are produced per year?

In 2009, about 9 GW of solar modules were produced and the estimated 2010 annual production capacity is about 11 GW. This represents an almost 50% growth per year of production during the last decade, that is widely expected to continue for the near future.

How big is the architectural glass market?

The architectural glass market is the single largest flat glass market, at about 39 million tons per year in 2007 and has been growing at about 5% per year . The US Congress has considered legislation (the Waxman–Markey act) that could force new construction to use more triple-pane insulated glazing units .

What is a thin-film solar system?

Thin-film solar technologies also often use glass as the substrate (or superstrate) on which the device is built . In fact, for the majority of solar modules in production, glass is the single largest component by mass and in double glass thin-film PV, and it comprises 97% of the module׳s weight.

How much glass do you need for a solar module?

Thus, for each square meter of a solar module, 2 of glass is required. Other thin film modules are a mix, some using two plates of glass for each module, some only a single plate, or some other type of substrate. Thin-film PV production is expected to continue to grow faster than the industry as a whole due to lower production costs.

What are the major markets for flat glass?

The largest markets for flat glass are architectural (88% of the market) and automotive-glass (11%) The solar industry׳s demand for glass is currently less than 2% of the overall market. However, with the huge growth in the solar industry (and moderate growth expected in other glass markets), this situation is changing.