Recent reports have highlighted the solar industry’s need to quickly shift gear, with global installs needing to treble this decade to contribute towards net zero initiatives.
But growing at that speed and scale poses its own issues, and with some in the industry doubting the long-term potential of continued cost declines in solar modules and other components, solar must address other costs, such as ‘soft’ costs of development and ongoing operational costs, to realise its potential.
PV Tech Premium speaks to Vassilis Papaeconomou, managing director at renewables service provider Alectris, to learn how the solar industry can scale up efficiently, what asset owners and operators need to be aware of when buzzwords such as ‘digitalisation’ and ‘artificial intelligence’ are mentioned, and what the industry might learn from more mature technologies such as wind.
