There are distinct segments within the whole ecosystem of solar power, starting from equipment manufacturing and module production all the way to installation and operation. The key considerations for solar module manufacturing are divided into two segments: pre-production and post-production. Pre-production considerations involve factors such as module size & technology, plant capacity, BOM components sourcing, certifications, area location, and government policies & incentives. The post-production phase focuses on devising the sales strategy and creating infrastructure for the storage & transportation of solar modules.

In our last three newsletters on key considerations for solar module manufacturing, we discussed in detail all the major pre-production considerations namely:

• Technology to be used for solar module manufacturing

• Plant capacity

• BOM components

• Equipment & machinery

• Size of module

• Certifications required for module manufacturing

• Government policies & initiatives

• The area & location of the plant

• Plant operations and reinsurance

In this newsletter, we have focused on covering the post-production considerations namely:

• Sales strategy

• Storage & transportation

Whatever needs to be sold, whether it’s a product or any service, the seller needs a streamlined plan for how he’s going to sell it. As great as the product is, it doesn’t sell itself, that’s up to the seller’s sales strategy. Strategizing is all about drawing a detailed roadmap to the destination before we leave, so we can eliminate the chances of winding up on a dead-end road with no gas station. Export vs. domestic, cross-border sales volume, replacement & returns, target customer segment, credit sales, and warranty fulfillment are the major considerations while forming a sales strategy for solar modules. Currently, ~95% of the modules manufactured in India are domestically consumed whereas hardly ~5% of those are exported. US, South Africa & UAE are the top solar module export destinations for India.

Solar modules undergo a long multi-step, time-consuming process until they are ready to be sold or further used to make solar panels. As a globalized industry with most of the production of solar modules taking place in East and Southeast Asia and the largest share of end consumers being geographically distant from the manufacturing origin, these valuable solar modules must also be shipped over a long distance via ocean. Being a high-priced product, an important yet often neglected aspect in the solar industry is the significance of correct, safe, and efficient storage and transportation of solar modules & panels. Packaging, branding & shipping methods along with proper warehouse management play a crucial role in the safe transit of solar modules. At present, PV modules show an average of 6% of broken cells per PV module during storage & transit. Transportation of solar modules falls under the fragile object category and hence a premium is charged for transportation.

With this, we conclude our series of newsletters on key considerations for solar module manufacturing covering all the pre-production and post-production considerations in detail.