European solar manufacturing has experienced a stunning decline over the last decade or so, from being the center of the global industry to a minor player. And while wafer and cell capacities have been almost eliminated, according to data released by Solar Power Europe PV module production, one of the last stands of the industry, declined again in 2016.
The trade organization states that PV module capacities fell from 6.9 GW to 6.7 GW over the course of the year, however the fall in output was more severe, falling 16% to only 2.7 GW. This indicates a capacity utilization of only 40%.
"Our survey shows that unfortunately many of the EU module production facilities are simply ghost capacities," reports Michael Schmela, ...Den vollständigen Artikel lesen ...