2024 Trends Report：Renewable Energy and Solar Research Report 2024年趨勢(shì)報(bào)告：可再生能源和太陽(yáng)能研究報(bào)告

2024

Trends

Report:Renewable

Energy

andSolar

Research

ReportIndex2905

Foreword

fromour

CEO09

Executivesummary13

About

the

survey19

UpcomingrenewablechallengesGrid

saturationand

instabilityPermitting

and

regulationIncreased

costsLand

availabilitySkilled

personnelLack

of

governmentincentivesTrends

accordingto

industryprofessionalsStorage

technologies(BESS)Renewable

legislationAlternate

PV

deployments(Agri-PV,

floating

solar)DigitalizationNotable

innovations,materials,

and

trendsDesired

new

renewableadvancesDiversification

ofrenewable

energy

sourcesInvestment

in

digitalizationand

automationInvestment

in

a

strong

laborforceDiversification

of

regionaloperationsDeep

dive

intoRatedPower

statsChanging

project

trendsModule

preferencesInverter

preferencesStructure

preferencesBESS51

Key

successfactors

of

aleading

energyplayerGrid

stabilization

methods(storage

and

BESS)5785

Conclusion89

Wrap

up92

ReferencesForeword

from

our

CEO72024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report6RatedPowerThe

past

year

has

been

a

testament

to

theresilience

and

adaptability

of

our

industryamidst

an

ever-changing

global

energy

crisis.While

some

immediate

pressures

have

eased,the

ongoing

geopolitical

unrest,particularly

theprolonged

conflict

in

Ukraine

and

tensions

in

theMiddle

East,

continue

to

impact

energy

marketsand

economies

worldwide.Despite

these

challenges,

the

renewable

energysector

has

experienced

significant

global

growth,particularly

in

solar

PV

and

electric

vehicles.The

IEA

estimates

that

nearly

90%1

of

totalinvestment

in

electricity

generation

wenttowards

low

emissions

power

in

2023,

a

trendthat

has

been

tracking

for

some

time,

and

this

isnot

only

due

to

the

push

for

lower

emissions

butalso

the

undeniable

economic

case

for

matureclean

energy

technologies.

The

momentumbehind

this

transition

is

now

sufficient

forglobal

demand

for

coal,

oil,

and

natural

gas

todecline

before

2030,

marking

the

beginningof

the

end

of

the

fossil

fuel

era.However,

there

are

additional

obstacles

toovercome

on

the

journey

towards

a

cleanerenergy

future.

Managing

supply

chaindependencies,

especially

for

critical

minerals

likelithium,

cobalt,

nickel,

and

rare

earths,

remainsa

key

challenge.

Our

efforts

to

diversify

andinnovate

in

this

area

will

have

a

big

say

in

theresilience

of

clean

energysupplychains

in

thefuture.Another

pivotal

component

of

this

transitionis

the

advancement

and

integration

of

batteryenergy

storage

systems

(BESS).

The

ability

tostore

and

distribute

energy

when

needed

willmake

the

supply

more

consistent,

mitigatingsome

of

the

strain

on

the

grid

in

tandem

with

theescalating

demand

for

renewable

installations.Looking

ahead

to

the

future,

we

asked

energyindustry

professionals

to

share

their

thoughts

onanumberoftopics,as

ameansofunderstandingthe

current

state

of

the

sector.

As

some

recurringthemes

in

the

survey

responses

show,

there

areboth

clear

challenges

that

need

to

be

solvedandexciting

innovations

just

around

the

corner.We’re

excited

to

see

where

things

go

next.Andrea

BarberVP

Power

&

Renewables,

Enverus

and

co-Founder,

RatedPowerExecutive

Summary112024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report10RatedPower2023

was

a

year

where

much

progress

wasmade

in

the

renewable

industry.

From

alegislative

perspective,

the

European

Unionadopted

a

new

Energy

Directive2,

raising

their2030

renewable

consumptiontargetto

42.5%from

32%.

At

the

same

time,

over

$270

billionin

investments

were

made

in

the

US

in

the

18months

since

the

Inflation

Reduction

Act3

wasintroduced

in

2022.The

solar

PV

market

has

particularly

flourished.Largeutility-scale

and

small

distributed

solarPV

systems

were

estimated

to

make

up

two-thirds

of

the

2023

projected

increase

in

globalrenewable

capacity4.

Despite

this

growth,

thecosts

have

fluctuated

throughout

the

year,

withprice

hikes

drivenby

variousfactors,

includinglabor

and

inverters.Some

sources

indicate

that

wind

power

couldend

up

having

a

lower

LCOE

than

solar

in

2024in

certain

regions

for

the

same

reasons.

Thatsaid,

solar

PV

continues

to

have

a

29%

lowerlevelized

cost

of

energy

(LCOE)

than

thecheapest

fossil

fuel

alternative5.As

reported

byBloombergNEF,

theprojectionof

total

solar

module

capacity

installed

in

2023around

the

world

is

413

GW6.

This

represented

amassive

58%

growth

from

the

amount

installedin

2022,

which

itself

was

an

almost

42%

increasefromthe

previous

year.This

trajectory

looks

setto

continue,

with

hightargets

and

projectionsbeingmade.

A

reportfrom

Aurora

Energy

Research7

earlier

in

the

yearsuggested

that

Europe

was

on

track

to

installa

solar

power

capacity

of

475

GW

betweennow

and

2030.

Meanwhile,

at

the

COP288conference

in

Dubai,

world

leaders

agreed

totriple

the

global

renewable

energy

capacityby

2030

and

historically

agreed

to

committotransition

awayfromfossil

fuels9.Some

interesting

trends

were

noted

inRatedPower’s

platform

this

year.

The

dominanceof

bifacial

modules,

the

growing

trend

ofstring

inverters,

and

the

geographic

variationin

structure

preferences

all

highlight

evolvingdesign

and

engineering

approaches.

Overall,the

world

is

committed

to

lowering

its

carbonemissions,

and

the

renewablesindustryisrighttherealongside

it.About

the

survey2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerTo

gain

insight

into

the

renewable

sector’strajectory

for

2024,

we

surveyed

energy

industryprofessionals

from

30

countries

spanning

sixcontinents.

They

were

asked

about

industrychallenges,

trends,

innovations,

and

the

impactof

government

legislation

andincentives

on

therenewable

landscape.

They

gave

their

take

oncritical

technological

advances

in

the

sector

andthe

ideal

developments

they

would

like

to

see

inthe

future.Of

the

experts

we

surveyed,

over

88%

said

theywork

within

the

solar

sector,

with

the

storage

andwind

power

sectors

featuring

prominently.

Over57%

of

the

respondents

said

they

have

workedin

the

energy

industry

for

5

to

15+

years.

Justunder

60%

come

from

organizations

with

lessthan

150

employees,

and

7%

from

organizationswith

over

5,000

employees.100%70%60%50%30%20%88.1%Storage39.9%Wind28.6%Power

distribution14.3%Green

hydrogen13.1%Hydropower9.5%Related

Services8.3%Other

renewables6%Oil

&

Gas3.6%Tidal1.2%Other1.2%10%141580%90%40%What

is

your

industrysector?Solar2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report17RatedPower33.3%42.9%23.8%10.7%7.1%59.5%22.6%For

how

long

have

youbeen

working

in

the

energyindustry?+15

years5-15

years-5

yearsWhat’s

the

size

of

thecompany

you

currentlyworkfor?Less

than

150

employees150-1,000

employees1,000-5,000

employees+5,000

employees“The

time

gap

to

bring

greenhouse

gases

down

is

gettingnarrower.

We

need

to

speed

up

the

installation

of

cleanenergy

sources.

The

coming

5

to

8

years

are

crucial

formany

areas

of

the

world.”16Diego

Lobo-Guerrero

RodriguezSENS

-

Iqony

Solar

Energy

Solutions

GmbHUpcoming

renewableschallenges2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report100%70%60%50%30%20%Grid

saturation

and

instability66.7%Lack

of

government

incentives17.9%Permits

and

regulation56%Land

availability17.9%Skilled

personnel35.7%Location

of

resources13.1%Increased

costs17.9%Shortageofrawmaterial13.1%Poorly

targetedpublicinvestment11.9%10%2180%90%40%What

are

the

biggest

challenges

for

the

renewablesector

for

the

coming

year?Grid

saturation

and

instabilityLike

lastyear’s

survey,grid

saturation

and

instabilityis

the

number

one

challenge

respondents

see

forthe

industry

in

2024.

66.7%

of

those

surveyedstated

this

area

as

an

issue,

up

from

64%

last

year.In

areas

of

the

world

where

green

energypenetration

is

particularly

high,

local

grids

are

attheir

limits.

They

require

further

reinforcementto

manage

the

influx

of

variable

power

sourceswithout

curtailing

the

electricity

supply.Although

curtailment

rates

of

variable

renewableenergy

(VRE)

in

the

larger,

more

establishedrenewable

energy

markets

are

rising

overall,

windand

solar

rates

are

still

relatively

low,

between1.5%

and

4%10.

Most

markets

have

been

workingto

reduce

their

curtailment

rates

over

the

lastdecade,

but

the

geographical

disparity

betweengeneration

and

consumption

has

been

anunavoidable

obstacle

for

many

regions.Governments

have

implemented

measures

tomitigate

curtailment,

such

as

the

high-voltagedirect

current

in

the

UK,

the

Energy

ImbalanceMarket

(EIM)

in

California,

or

incentivizingbatteries

in

Chile.On

the

other

hand,

many

areas

worldwide

are

atrisk

of

energy

shortfalls,

with

reports

fromNERCclaiming

that

two-thirds

of

North

America’senergy

supply

is

vulnerable11

throughout

periodsof

extremely

high

demand.To

manage

excess

and

shortfalls

in

electricitysupply,

there

is

an

urgent

call

for

increasedinfrastructure

and

storage

capacity.

Manycountries

are

looking

to

distributed

generation,more

robust

local

grids,

and

smaller

plants

toensure

supply

by

implementing

new

legislationand

reducing

regulatory

barriers.As

solar

manufacturing

continues

to

boom

acrossthe

USA

and

green

investments

become

moreprevalent

in

Europe,

and

across

the

world,

thedemand

for

renewable

energy

installations

willcontinue

to

increase.

If

not

carefully

planned,this

growing

demand

will

contribute

to

saturationandfurther

instability.2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerWhen

permitting

is

a

complex

and

lengthyprocess,

investment

is

often

deterred,

andprogress

is

slowed

down.

When

regulationswidely

differ

across

regions,

this

adds

anotherlayer

of

complexity.

All

of

this

makes

it

harderfor

renewable

energy

providers

to

grow

andexpand

their

operations.Over

half

(56%)

of

the

respondents

seepermitting

and

regulation

as

a

challenge

forthe

renewable

energy

sector,

but

this

is

downfrom

64%

last

year.This

suggests

that

althoughthis

issue

still

needs

to

be

solved,

the

work

isalready

underway.The

2022

temporary

emergency

EU

regulationdesigned

to

streamline

renewable

projectpermits

is

scheduled

to

come

to

an

end

in2024;

however,

there

are

calls

from

severalcountriestoextenditto

avoidmorebottlenecksin

the

future.

With

other

regions

followingsuit

by

implementing

new

laws

and

reducingbureaucratic

hurdles

there

is

hope

that

stalledprojects

could

start

moving.Investors

and

developers

require

regulatorystability

to

confidently

pour

resources

intonew

ventures.

This

means

that

creating

moreefficient

licensing

processes

needs

to

be

apriority.

At

the

same

time,

there

must

be

abalance

of

environmental

safeguards

with

theneed

to

fast-track

approvals

for

new

projects.Permitting

and

regulationSkilled

personnelOver

a

third

(35.7%)

of

survey

respondentsidentified

skilled

personnel

shortages

asa

challenge

that

needs

to

be

solved.

As

thedemand

for

renewables

continues

to

grow,more

and

more

skilled

people

will

be

requiredto

sustain

it.2223This

also

comes

at

a

time

when

most

industriesare

struggling

to

findtheskilledpersonnel

theyneed

while

clean

energy

jobs

have

grown

by10%12

in

the

US

outgrowing

the

nation’s

overallemployment.

There

are

3.3

million

clean

energyjobs,

and

an

increasing

number

of

thesepositions

are

carried

out

by

contractors

oroutside

consultancies.Solving

this

problem

will

require

an

emphasis

ontraining,

education

and

apprenticeships

tailoredspecifically

to

the

needs

of

the

renewableindustry.

Comprehensive

programs

must

bedeveloped

that

are

aimed

at

attracting

talentand

nurturing

and

retaining

it

with

continuousre-

andup-skilling,

engagement,and

purposefulcareer

paths.Similar

programs

will

need

to

be

developedto

help

expand

the

skillset

of

the

existingrenewable

workforce.

Beingadeptin

technology,management

acumen,

digital

proficiency,

andregulatory

understanding

will

all

be

importantmoving

forward.2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPower17.9%

of

those

surveyed

see

alack

of

governmentincentives

as

an

issue,

which

is

way

downfrom

39%

in

2023.

This

illustrates

that

moregovernments

around

the

world

are

on

board

withrenewablesand

creatingpolicies

thatincentivizeand

help

the

industry.Although

things

are

heading

in

the

rightdirection,

more

can

be

done.

An

increased

focuson

governmental

action

with

less

reliance

oncommunity

engagement

is

one

thing

that

willhelp.Policies

offeringattractivetax

breaks

andpaving

the

way

for

public-private

partnershipsshould

be

a

focus.

These

collaborations

canamplify

the

impact

of

limited

government

fundswhile

harnessing

private

sector

expertise

andresources

at

the

same

time.Throughout

2024

the

Inflation

Reduction

Act13

willkeep

driving

the

renewable

energy

landscape

inthe

US.

REPowerEU14

and

theGreenDealIndustrialPlan15

will

continue

to

move

the

EU

towards

its2030

renewables

goals.

Governments

withinthe

EU

are

continuing

their

efforts,

such

as

theScottish

Government’s

New

Energy

Strategy

andJust

Transition

Plan16,

the

creation

of

the

UK’sLack

of

government

incentivesSolar

Taskforce17,

and

the

German

Government’sapproval

of

just

over

57

billion

euros18

in

greeninvestments

in

2024

to

help

reach

their

2045target

of

becoming

net-zero.In

the

rest

of

the

world,

we

will

likely

see

acontinued

increase

in

mid-scale

(under

5MW)solar

installationsin

Australia19

as

reducedregulationmakes

these

decentralized

projectsmore

attractive

to

investors.

We

will

also

seethe

effects

of

Law

14,300,

recently

approvedby

ANEEL,

the

Brazilian

Electricity

RegulatoryAgency20,

which

will

directly

impact

distributedmicro-

and

mini-generation

across

the

country.We’ll

likely

see

the

effects

of

the

DominicanRepublic

passing

two

new

bills21

(Law

No.

50-07and

CNE-AD-0004-2023)

reducinglegislativebarriers

and

incentivizing

the

use

of

batteryenergy

storage

systems

(BESS).Increased

costsJust

under

one-fifth

(17.9%)

of

respondents

seethe

increased

costs

associatedwithrenewableenergy

projects

as

being

a

hurdle

in

2024.

Thisnumber

was

63%

last

year,

suggesting

the

marketis

maturing

and

becoming

more

resilient.The

high

cost

of

storage

technologies

standsout

as

a

key

challenge,

underscoring

theneed

for

more

affordable

solutions.

Similarly,investment

costs,

operations

and

maintenance,transportation,

and

deployment

challenges

areall

common

concerns.Finding

ways

to

reduce

these

expenses

willrely

on

technological

advancements

in

areaslike

storage,

streamlining

transportation

anddeployment,

as

well

as

leveraging

economiesof

scale

to

bring

down

prices.

Even

with

risingupfront

costs,

renewables’

long-term

economicbenefits

cannot

be

ignored.24252024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerLand

availabilityLand

availability

is

another

concern

ofrespondents

that

has

dropped

by

more

thanhalf

in

the

last

year.While

40%

of

those

surveyedsaw

it

as

an

issue

last

year,

that

figure

has

comedown

to

17.9%

this

year.

Many

factors

could

havecontributed

to

this,

including

both

technologicaland

regulatory

changes.Many

respondents

anticipate

that

there

willbe

growth

in

agri-PV,

particularly

in

regionswith

land

constraints.

France22

is

one

exampleof

a

region

that

recently

passed

legislationto

stimulate

and

streamline

renewablesdevelopment

on

agricultural

plots

and

createdamore

comprehensive

definition

of

an

agrivoltaicinstallation.Innovations

that

allow

for

dual

use

of

land

will

besignificant

on

the

path

to

energy

independence,especially

in

densely

populated

or

geographicallyconstrained

areas.

Given

that

finding

sufficientland

for

large-scale

renewable

projects

in

theseareas

will

be

a

challenge,

solutions

like

floatingPV

could

also

become

important.2627Trends

according

toindustry

professionals2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPower53214100%70%60%50%30%20%1.2%2.4%.28.4%.67.9%10%80%90%40%How

much

confidencedo

you

have

in

the

future

of

renewables

market?100%70%60%50%30%20%Australia21.4%Spain22.6%Germany25%China33.3%United

States45.2%Italy16.7%Brazil20.2%MexicoChile19%13.1%Saudi

Arabia11.9%India17.9%Argentina9.5%Denmark9.5%10%303180%90%40%Countries

with

the

highest

potential

for

20242024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerWindGreen

HydrogenStorageSolarGrid31%40.5%15.5%.6%.3.6%Over

the

next

five

years,

where

do

you

see

the

biggestgrowth

area

within

renewable

space?100%70%60%50%30%20%10%80%90%40%Encouragingly,

the

overwhelming

majorityof

survey

respondents

said

they

have

highconfidence

in

the

future

of

the

renewablesmarket.

Over

90%

of

respondents

rated

theirconfidence

in

the

industry’s

future

as

either

fouror

five

out

of

five.When

asked

to

identify

the

countries

with

themost

potential

for

growth

in

renewables,

nearlyhalf

(45.2%)

pinpointed

the

United

States

asleading

the

charge.

China

and

Germany

alsoranked

highly

among

our

respondents,

with33.3%

and

25%

respectively.

Other

countriesthat

made

it

into

the

top

ten

include

Spain,Brazil,

and

Australia,each

recognized

by

19-22%of

respondents,

and

emerging

players

like

Chile,India,

Italy,

and

Mexico.Looking

at

the

industry

itself,

40.5%

agreed

thatsolar

is

the

sector

within

renewables

with

thebiggest

growth

potential

over

the

next

five

years.Storage

was

closely

behind

at

31%,

while

greenhydrogen

(15.5%),

the

grid

(6%),

and

wind

(3.6%)rounded

out

the

responses32332024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerStoragetechnologies(BESS)Those

who

responded

tothesurvey

identifiedbattery

storage

technologies

and

BESS

as

vitallyimportant

to

the

future

of

renewable

energy.They

will

play

a

key

role

in

enhancing

gridflexibility,

but

better

performance,

regulation,and

reductions

inpricewill

be

needed

for

thistype

of

technology

to

meet

its

potential.

Somerespondents

are

concerned

about

the

highdeployment

costs

of

storage

technologies,

andothers

noted

thatdue

to

its

long-term

potential,the

market

currently

underestimates

its

value.“(BESS)

is

crucial

for

thesuccess

of

renewable

energies.”Sergio

GarciaHipergama“The

more

storage,

thebetter;

more

storagemeansless

natural

gas

and

nuclearplants

on

standby

to

fulfill

thecapacity

needs

of

the

grid

athigh

load.”Darren

BishopLincoln

infrastructure/Convalt

Energy“BESS

is

a

critical

step

towardsmore

renewable

energyintegration

and

grid

stability.”Pedro

SousaEfacec

Engenharia

e

Sistemas34352024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report36“The

lifespan

of

BESS

still

requires

major

improvementsand

does

have

environmental

issues

at

the

end

of

its

life.We

need

to

find

alternatives

to

the

scarce

lithium.”Matlhole

LosabaKeile

Business

Solutions

(Pty)

Ltd“Renewable

technologies

willhave

no

choice

but

to

hybridizewith

storage

systems.

The

gridis

not

sufficiently

ready

toreceive

the

large

amountof

renewables

expected.”CatalinaBarreraReview

Energy“Storage

in

many

forms

willbecome

mandatory

in

anygrid-balancing

strategy.”Marco

BonviniSolar

Farm

Sr2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

ReportRatedPowerThe

EU

Directive

is

seen

as

setting

fundamentalframeworks

and

targets,

although

there

areconcerns

about

whether

it

is

sufficient

tomotivate

member

states

to

reach

these

goals.Largely

due

to

rising

gas

prices

and

geopoliticaltensions,

the

EU’s

commitment

to

increasingrenewables

production

has

been

reinforced,but

member

states

must

act

quickly.The

sentiment

from

the

rest

of

the

worldshowed

a

common

theme

that

although

theirgovernments

might

be

enacting

policies

thatboost

the

industry

there

is

still

plenty

to

be

doneto

expedite

project

pipelines

and

help

achieveambitious

national

renewables

targets.RenewablelegislationThe

Inflation

Reduction

Act

(IRA)

in

the

UnitedStates

and

the

Renewable

Energy

Directivewithinthe

European

Union

are

overall

positives

for

theindustry,

acting

as

catalysts

and

incentivizingmore

renewable

energy

projects.

Severalrespondents

emphasized

the

importance

ofthe

IRA

in

positively

transforming

the

US

market.“IRA

gives

the

USA

a

bigopportunity

to

grow.

The

GreenDeal

needs

to

open

more

tothe

specifics

of

the

countriesto

be

successful

against

theUSA

proposal.”CarolinaNesterSonnedix3839“More

manufacturers

willhave

a

chance

in

the

US.On

theother

hand,

a

slightoverproduction

will

bringprices

down

elsewhere.”Diego

Lobo-Guerrero

RodriguezSENS

-

Iqony

Solar

Energy

Solutions

GmbH2024

Trends

Report:

Renewable

Energy

and

Solar

Research

Report“Policymakers

need

to

createa

more

stable

environment

for

licensing

new

projects,reducing

the

time

required

for

licensing

by

digitalizing

theprocess

with

the

regulators.”Pedro

SousaEfacec

Engenharia

e

SistemasAlternate

renewable

deployments(Agri-PV,

floating

solar,

offshorewind)As

the

industry

professionals

consideredalternate

PV

deployments,

there

was

a

mixedoutlook

on

agri-PV.

While

some

respondentssee

it

as

having

the

potential

for

substantialgrowth,

particularly

in

Europe

and

regions

withland

constraints,

others

view

it

as

only

a

smallniche

compared

to

utility-scale

PV.While

concerns

were

raised

about

the

highinvestment

costs

associated

with

floatingPV,

it

is

seen

as

having

significant

potential,especially

in