1. Introduction
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Valerie Horein
Zach Kromkowski
Jake Robinson
Kaitlyn Tappenden
Liu Wang
• We are here to report our research on the solar
panel industry.

2. Summary Of Peer-Reviewed
Research On Solar Energy and
Power Generation

3. Solar Winery
• The winegrowing
industry requires a
significant amount of
energy in order to power
their facilities
• A movement towards
using solar renewables,
such as photovolatics
(PVs), in the winegrowing
process has begun
• There are an estimated
184,300 facilities in the
world, with only 293
reported to have active
solar installation (Smyth)
Tolosa Winery installed about 2,500 solar
panels that are capable of delivering 539
kW of power, enough to supply 95% of their
facility.

4. Leasing PV Systems
• The demand for leased residential solar panel
systems is growing significantly, as it financially
attractive to homeowners
• With the solar lease, the homeowner does not
own the system, but pays to use it for a
determined period of time
• The “zero-down fee structure option” is a major
draw, as customers get to start saving money on
their utility bills right away (Rutberg)

5. Organic Solar Cells
• While solar cells are environmentally friendly,
they tend to be on the expensive side, a cost
that a company would love to decrease
• Solar cells built from organic material would
be cheaper, less hazardous and not as heavy
as traditional solar cells (Thilmany)
• Scientists at Harvard University are currently
using a supercomputer to create the updated
organic cells

6. Market Size
• Revenue 1.0bn
• 39 Solar Panel Businesses
• Size is Falling
– 6.2% drop between 08-13
– Predicted to drop 15.6%
more 13-18

7. Market Share
• Top two
– SolarWorld AG 10.6%
– First Solar Inc. 9.7%

9. Demand
• Industrial building construction
• Commercial building construction
• Khols immersed in solar panel
industry
• Increase use of 25%, 20 total
locations in 2010, 30 total locations
in 2012
• Housing developers
• Solar power

10. Trends in the Marketplace
Revenue ($m)
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
IVA ($m)
Domestic Demand ($m)
Solar Electricity Generation (Million kilowatt
hours)
2,873.10
1,267.60
3,811.80
3,804
2,340.90
695.7
5,590.60
7,260
1,793.30
616.9
5,504.50
12,632
1,038.90
409.3
3,947.50
19,084
896.6
334.4
3,848.60
24,080
888.60
320.00
4,296.50
28,990.00
806.2
306.7
4,310.40
32,569
598.8
217.7
4,298.30
33,476
446.2
161.7
4,245.00
33,690
Key Statistics

11. Trends in the Marketplace
• The solar market is currently facing rapidly
falling prices, both for its raw material and its
finished product.
• The U.S government keeps increasing the
financial benefits for companies to make use
of renewable energy sources.
• The consolidation and specialization of the
industry will increase.

12. Major Companies in the Solar
Panel Industry

13. SolarWorld AG.
• 10.6% of the market
share
• One of the largest
manufacturers

14. SolarWorld AG History
• Founded in 1998
• Currently has around 2,500 employees
• $109.9 million in revenue in 2013
• Revenues have begun to decrease because of
overseas manufacturers selling solar panels
inexpensively

15. SolarWorld AG Products
• Sunmodule solar panels
• Made in the USA
• Textured glass and salt mist resistance

16. SolarWorld AG Products (cont.)
• Design Service
• Ability to design for commercial and
residential customers

18. First Solar Inc.
• 9.7% of the market
• Over 6,500 employees
• 3 locations
– Germany
– Malaysia
– United States

19. First Solar Inc. (Financial)
• $108.9 million in 2012
• 100.9 million in 2013

20. First Solar Inc.
• Competitive
advantage with their
innovative thin-film
modules on their
solar panels
• First Solar Inc. also
sells the mounting
equipment

21. Other Companies in the Market
• Sunvia: 4.5%
• SunPower: 2.0%

22. Our Approach
• Invest in a smaller company
• Learn from the larger companies
– Research innovative technology like First Solar Inc.
– Find ways to compete with the overseas market
• Turn small company into a large competitor

23. Final Recommendation
• Invest in one of the smaller companies
• The future looks bright with new technological
advances
• Government subsidies stimulate the industry
• Significant barriers to entry

24. Works Cited
• Domanic, M. (n.d.). Major companies. Unpublished raw data, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN, , Available from IBISworld. Retrieved from
http://sites.lib.purdue.edu/guides/tutorial/getting-started-with-ibisworld
• First Solar. (2014). Structured energy products. Retrieved from
http://www.firstsolar.com/en/products/structured-energy-products
• IBISWorld. (2014). Solar Panel Manufacturing in the US. Retrieved from
http://clients1.ibisworld.com.ezproxy.lib.purdue.edu/reports/us/industry/
default.aspx?entid=754
• Khol's uses solar initiative in 30 new locations. (2012, 06 21). Retrieved
2.23. 2014, Retrieved from
http://sites.lib.purdue.edu/guides/tutorial/mintel
• Renzema, A. (2013) Trends in Solar Energy and the Solar Energy Industry.
Retrieved from https://www.greenlancer.com/trends-in-solar-energy/

25. Works Cited (cont.)
• Rutberg, M., & Bouza, A. (2013). Leasing residential PV systems. ASHRAE
Journal, 55(12), 132-132,134,136. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1491274266?accountid=13360
• Smyth, Mervyn. "Solar Photovoltaic Installations In American And
European Winemaking Facilities." Journal Of Cleaner Production
31.(2012): 22-29. Business Source Premier. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
• SolarWorld, A. (2013). Products and services. Retrieved from
http://www.solarworld-usa.com/products-and-services/sunmodule-solarpanels
• Thilmany, J. (2012). Organic solar cells. Mechanical Engineering, 134(7),
20-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/
1023246875?accountid=13360