Solar power generation upstream and downstream industry chain

Why is the upstream chain important in photovoltaic industry?

It was found that the upstream chain involves specific knowledge and high technological capacity, creating greater added value and obtaining the highest profits within the global photovoltaic industry.

What is the upstream sector of a photovoltaic cell?

As can be seen in Table 2, the upstream sector includes the initial stages for the formation of the photovoltaic cell, such as silica extraction, production of solar grade silicon, silicon ingot, and silicon wafer.

What are the effects of upstream PV industrial policies on downstream products?

In general, (1) For the impacts of upstream PV industrial policies on the downstream products, the policy-conducting effects are not obvious, that is, one unit of price drop due to the subsidy for the upstream PV enterprises leads to 0.016-unit price drop of downstream products, which is mainly due to the nature of the PV industry in China.

What is the supply chain for solar PV?

The supply chain for solar PV has two branches in the United States: crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV, which made up 84% of the U.S. market in 2020, and cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film PV, which made up the remaining 16%. The supply chain for c-Si PV starts with the refining of high-purity polysilicon.

What is the upstream segment of the energy industry?

The upstream segment of the energy industry encompasses activities related to the exploration, extraction and production of energy resources. The exact upstream activities depend on the type of energy. In the oil and gas industry, the upstream activities will include the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas.

What is the policy of China's solar PV upstream enterprises?

Source: Compiled by the authors. According to Figure 8.9, the main policy subject of China's solar PV upstream enterprises is the government, which sets fiscal policies, tax policies, and other policies (technical research and development, input and pollution compensation, etc.) based on the developing environment and trends.