Photovoltaic Demand Misses Expected Value
A significant portion of green computing is using alternative energy sources to power data centers. For example, the Massachusetts Green HPC Center, which we profiled here last week, is using a hydro-electric plant in Holyoke to provide up to 75 percent of its energy.
One of those alternative energies is photovoltaic solar power. Unfortunately, according to a soon to be released report from NPD Solarbuzz, solar photovoltaic demand grew in 2012, but not to the level it was expected. Projections throughout the year saw the number coming to a reasonable 35 GW. NPD Solarbuzz Senior Analyst noted that in order for the supply-demand model to profit PV companies, that number was going to have reach 45 GW. Instead, 2012’s total PV demand was only 29 GW.
While this level did set a record in the industry, it was the first year in a decade that the demand level did not exceed 10 percent growth, as 2011’s PV demand was 27.7. “During most of 2012, and also at the start of 2013, many in the PV industry were hoping that final PV demand figures for 2012 would exceed the 30 GW level,” explained Barker. “Estimates during 2012 often exceeded 35 GW as PV companies looked for positive signs that the supply/demand imbalance was being corrected and profit levels would be restored quickly. Ultimately, PV demand during 2012 fell well short of the 30 GW mark.”
Europe again was the largest contributor, with their 16.48 GW of demand comprising 60 percent of the global market. Asia, with China’s help, grew their share to 8.69 GW in 2012.
Outisde of California, where admittedly a large chunk of tech enterprises lie and thus can be expected to drive smarter energy, the Americas fell short of their PV demand expectations. The Golden State registered a third of the 3.68 GW of PV demand in the Americas region, which here stretches from the upper domains of Canada to the tip of Argentina and all countries and islands in between.
These results could mean any number of things, not all of which are necessarily bad for a green world. Wind farms are the norm in a large part of the United States, especially in the windy sections of the Great Plains that surround the computing hub of Chicago.
This could also mean that the solar cell itself has not seen the boost in efficiency investors and end-users had been hoping for. New experiments and prototypes, such as the graphene sheet experiments that may be able to convert a single photon into multiple excited electrons, could help this process along but not until they are tested and placed in the market.
With that being said, it is up to the developing nations to bolster PV demand. “The role of emerging regions will be pivotal to PV industry supply and demand during 2013 and will offer a leading indicator for how quickly the industry can exceed the 30 GW annual run-rate level,” said Barker.
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