30 June 2011
As solar PV module prices continue to decline globally, balance-of-system (BOS) components will assume a majority share of a PV project's total cost per watt within the next year, according to GTM Research.
In 2010, BOS costs accounted for approximately 44.8% ($1.43 USD per watt) of a typical, utility-scale crystalline silicon (c-Si) project, with that percentage forecasted to increase to 50.6% in 2012. This economic shift is driving industry attention beyond the module toward achieving economic gains for key BOS components and services, including mounting structures, foundations, labour, civil works, cables, engineering and combiner boxes.
GTM Research's latest report, Solar PV Balance of System (BOS): Technologies and Markets, is a comprehensive analysis of the product innovations and economic positioning of these key BOS components. At 140 pages with more than 100 exhibits, the report covers all PV system components beyond the module and inverter, featuring BOS cost roadmaps, component market sizing and mounting structure demand globally and by country for the US, Germany, Italy, the rest of Europe, China and Japan.
In addition to mapping BOS costs through 2013, the report examines market shares globally and by country for mounting structures, which hold the largest share of BOS component costs at $0.23 per watt for typical utility-scale c-Si projects. Globally, rooftop mounting structures comprised 83% of the total market in 2010. As major demand centres mature beyond Europe, that number is forecast to decrease to 66% by 2015; utility markets in North America and Asia will provide demand for ground-mounted fixed and tracking structures, which are expected to achieve global shares of 27% and 7% respectively by 2015.
