On June 27th, 2011, Greentech Media Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.) announced the release of a new report which states that balance of system (BOS) costs will exceed module costs, to become the majority of costs for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants by 2012.

"Solar PV Balance of Systems: Technologies and Markets" also predicts that BOS costs will decline an average of USD 0.29/watt between 2010 and 2013.

“The PV market has new focus,” said Shayle Kann, managing director of GTM Research’s solar practice. “While the module will remain the most costly single part of a PV system for the foreseeable future, the large combined cost of BOS components will inevitably engender greater activity and innovation across the BOS value chain."

"We expect to see BOS consolidation, integrated business models and increased supplier competition in the coming years as more companies see the BOS as a major revenue opportunity in the PV market.”

Mounting structures largest single cost

GTM estimates that BOS costs currently account for 44.8% of total costs for a typical utility-scale crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar PV plant, and that this percentage will increase to 50.6% in 2012, even as costs decline overall.

The report also notes that mounting structures represent the largest share of BOS component costs at USD 0.23 for a typical utility-scale C-Si plant.

The report looks at BOS costs for thin film as well as c-Si PV plants. GTM states that the report provides coverage of all PV system component costs beyond the module and inverter, featuring BOS cost roadmaps, component market sizing and mounting structure demand by country for major PV markets.

2011-07-04| Courtesy: Greentech Media Research | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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