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Twenty years of change: what comes next for solar and storage

Published in: Solar, Corporate Focus, Exclusive Articles

Twenty years of change: what comes next for solar and storage image

Over the past 20 years, solar has moved from an emerging technology to a central part of the global energy system. What can that transformation tell the industry about the next phase of photovoltaic and energy storage development?

From emerging technology to mainstream generation

When JinkoSolar was founded in 2006, photovoltaic technology was still at an early stage of commercial adoption. Module efficiencies were considerably lower than they are today, manufacturing capacity was limited and many renewable energy projects depended heavily on government support.

The market now looks very different. Solar has become one of the world’s fastest-growing sources of electricity, supported by improvements in efficiency, more sophisticated manufacturing and falling costs. Governments, businesses and investors increasingly regard renewable energy not only as an environmental choice, but as an economic opportunity and an important part of future energy security.

That progress has not followed a straight line. The industry has experienced repeated cycles of rapid expansion, falling prices, policy change and market uncertainty. For manufacturers and developers, the ability to keep investing through those cycles has been as important as responding to immediate market conditions.

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