How much does a PV module cost?

The comparison of imported and manufactured PV modules for the 600 MW local factory shows that, when including trade and logistics costs, the imported PV module price is 0.274 USD/Wp (see Figure S8). At least a 12% reduction in cost is required for the optimized local manufacturing cost to compete with imported modules.

How to optimize cost for local PV module manufacturing?

The analysis compares an optimized cost for local module manufacturing, by considering the average selling price of each input material, with the average selling price of the imported PV module in the local market. The average selling price is used as the most robust available metric.

How much does module assembly cost in Australia?

The model optimizes for lowest cost for the domestic module assembly in Australia and finds that for a 600 MW factory, the cost of local manufacturing of 0.308 USD/Wp exceeds the cost of imported modules of 0.274 USD/Wp by 12%.

How to compare imported PV module price and locally manufactured PV module assembly price?

To compare the imported PV module price and the locally manufactured PV module assembly price, two objective functions are provided. The economic objective function for local PV module assembly calculates the cost per W of local production by considering all cost categories (Equation 1).

Is photovoltaic module assembly economically viable in Australia?

The initial analysis focuses on the economic viability of photovoltaic (PV) module assembly at different scales in Australia and then generalizes to include the global supply chain. The analysis shows that, with economies of scale and sufficient demand, local module assembly from imported materials can compete with the price of imported modules.

What is PV module assembly?

Module assembly is the last production sector in PV module manufacturing and can be the first step in building local PV manufacturing capacity by importing completed cells and sourcing (locally or importing) other input materials.