Solar energy accounts for a relatively small share in the global electricity production, but the prospects for its share increasing in the coming years are very high. Photovoltaic cells or PV cells are used to directly convert solar energy to electricity by photoelectric effect. Two main types of photovoltaic technologies include crystalline silicon and thin film, out of which crystalline silicon is the most widely used one. Past five years have witnessed tremendous increase in the PV installations worldwide, mainly due to the initiatives taken by the government to promote renewable energy, like Feed-in-Tariffs.

Europe is the largest PV market, followed by Japan and the US. Country wise, Germany is the leading player in the PV market. Although China does not have significant share in the PV installations presently, its share is expected to increase in the coming years. At the same time, China leads the market in terms of production, followed by Japan and Taiwan. The reason for China being the largest PV producer is the cost competitiveness enjoyed by PV manufacturers in China.

In future, the PV market is expected to enjoy growth in the emerging markets including China, India, Australia and South Africa. Also, the Sunbelt countries, where the solar irradiation is very high, have great potential which is largely untapped. Two such countries offering growth opportunities, China and India are also being profiled in the report.

Due to the solar energy having minimal environmental impact, and the increasing governmental initiatives, the PV industry is likely to boost up in the coming years. PV energy is very expensive and therefore, efforts are being made on making it more affordable. With the increasing population, the renewable energy sources (including photovoltaic solar energy) are expected to fulfill the increasing energy requirements of the future.

The present report analyzes the global PV market and the three leading regional markets, Europe, US and Japan. The trends, drivers and key issues of the PV industry are also discussed. Four leading players Suntech Power, First Solar, Trina Solar and Q-Cells have been profiled in the report.

By combining SPSS Inc.’s data integration and analysis capabilities with our relevant findings, we have predicted the future growth of the industry. We employed various significant variables that have an impact on this industry and created regression models with SPSS Base to determine the future direction of the industry. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables and tests.
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1. Photovoltaic Cells

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Value chain analysis

2. Solar PV Cells Market

2.1 Global Market-An Overview

Cumulative PV Installation
Annual PV Installation
Regional Breakdown

2.2 Worldwide PV Production

Annual PV Production
Regional Breakdown

2.3 Market Segments

Production of Crystalline Silicon
Production of Thin Film
Regional Breakdown

3. Regional Analysis of PV Market

3.1 European PV Market

Cumulative PV Installation
Annual PV Installation
Regional Breakdown
Germany
Italy
Spain
Czech
Belgium

3.2 US PV Market

Overview
PV Installation
PV Cell Shipment Revenue

3.3 PV Market in Japan

4. Potential Opportunities

4.1 Growth in Emerging Markets
4.2 Potential of Sunbelt Countries

5. Market Dynamics

5.1 Key Trends

5.1.1 Patent Applications in PV Industry
5.1.2 Efficiency Level of Commercial PV Technology
5.1.3 Worldwide Silicon Shipments

5.2 Growth Drivers

5.2.1 Minimal Environmental Impact
5.2.2 Increasing Population
5.2.3 Rising Energy Demand
5.2.4 Favoring Polysilicon Prices
5.2.5 Encouragement of Incentives

6. Key Issues and Challenges

6.1 Threat of Substitutes
6.2 High Installation Costs

7. Competitive Landscape

Market Share
Companies in Value Chain
R&D Cost Comparison

8. Company Profiles

8.1 Suntech Power

Business Description
Key Financials
Significant Developments
Installation of Highest Solar Power Plant
Second Shift at Arizona Plant

8.2 First Solar Inc.

Business Description
Key Financials
Significant Developments
New Factory in Vietnam
Acquires Amherstburg II Solar Project

8.3 Trina Solar

Business Description
Key Financials
Significant Developments
Agreement with ZEP Solar
Investment in Changzhou Trina PV Plant

8.4 Q-Cells

Business Description
Key Financials
Significant Developments
Efficiency World Record for Thin Film Solar Module
Agreement with Sunpower Corp
Expansion into UK Solar Market

9. Market Outlook

9.1 Market Forecast
9.2 Forecast Methodology
9.2.1 Dependent and Independent Variables
9.2.2 Correlation Analysis
9.2.3 Regression Analysis

List of Charts

Types of Photovoltaic Technologies
Photovoltaic Value Chain Analysis (Crystalline Technology)
Global Cumulative PV Power Installed (2001-2010)
Cumulative PV Power Installed-Share by Country (2009)
Annual PV Installations Worldwide (2001-2010)
Annual PV Installations by Country (2009)
Global PV Installations Breakdown by Regions (2010)
Global Annual Photovoltaic Production (2001-2009)
Global PV Production Share Breakdown by Country (2009)
Cost Comparison of c-Si Modules in Different Regions
PV Production Share by Technology (2009)
Production of Silicon Geographic Breakdown (2009)
Production of c-Si Cells-Geographical Breakdown (2009)
Production of c-Si Modules-Geographic Breakdown (2009)
Production of Thin Film (TF) Modules-Geographic Breakdown (2009)
New Installed Electricity Capacity in the EU by Source (2009)
Cumulative PV installations in Europe (2001-2010)
Annual PV Installations in Europe (2001-2010)
European PV Installations Share by Country (2009)
PV Installations in Germany (2006-2010)
PV Market Segmentation in Germany (2010)
PV Installations in Italy (2006-2010)
PV Installations in Spain (2006-2010)
PV Installations in Czech Republic (2006-2010)
PV Installations in Belgium (2006-2010)
US Primary Energy Consumption Share by Sources (2009)
US Renewable Energy Consumption Share by source (2009)
US PV Installations (2006-2010)
Grid-Connected PV Installations in the US (2001-2009)
Japanese PV Installations (2001-2010)
Chinese PV Market (2006-2009)
Indian PV Market (2001-2009)
Cumulative Installed PV Capacity-Share of Sunbelt Countries (2009)
PV Patent Applications-by Company (2010)
Greenhouse Gases Emission from Various Sources of Energy
Global Population (2005-2014)
Energy Consumption Worldwide (1990-2035)
Polysilicon Spot and Contract Price Trend (2005–2012E)
Feed-in-Tariffs Activity Overview
Solar cell manufacturing Costs-Share by Process
Global PV Producers-Market share (2010)
Global PV Producers-Market share (2009)
Number of Companies in Crystalline Silicon PV Value Chain (2009)
Suntech Power Revenue (2007-2010)
Suntech Power-Revenue Breakdown by Region (2009)
First Solar Revenue (2008-2010)
First Solar Revenue-Segmental Breakdown (2010)
First Solar Revenue-Geographical Breakdown (2010)
Trina solar Revenue (2008-2010)
Trina Solar Revenue-Geographical Breakdown (2010)
Q-Cells Revenue (2006-2010)
Q-Cells Sales Breakdown by Segments (2010)
Q-Cells Revenue-Share by Region (2010)
Global Cumulative PV Installations (2010-2014E)

List of Tables

PV Cell and Module Shipment Revenue by Type (2008 & 2009)
No. of Companies in US PV Market-Grouped by Operations (2008 & 2009)
Commercial PV Module Efficiency
Worldwide Silicon Area Shipments and Revenue (2004-2009)
Substitutes for Solar Power-by Application
PV System Installation Costs (2009)
Number of companies in Thin Film PV Value Chain (2009)
Research and Development Costs in Major Companies (2009)
Conversion Efficiency-by Major Companies (2009)
Dependent & Independent Variables (2006– 2010)
Correlation Matrix
Model Summary – Coefficient of Determination
Regression Coefficients Output
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