What is the dependent variable of solar PV module price?

The dependent variable is the log of solar PV module price. The log of imports of solar PV panels is used as a proxy of trade flows. Several exogenous variables are added to control for aggregate supply and demand effects.

How are solar PV module prices calculated?

Solar PV module prices, imports of solar PV panels and public budget for R&D in PV are in real terms and were obtained by dividing them by the United States GDP deflator. The series are obtained from five main sources. Imports value of solar PV panels series are taken from Commodity Trade Statistics database (COMTRADE).

What factors affect the development of the solar PV market?

Economic and non-economic factors affecting the development of the solar PV market and the evolution of prices are relatively complex. Over the past two decades, the global market has experienced a substantial decline in solar PV module prices.

Is polysilicon a bottleneck for solar PV?

Global capacity for manufacturing wafers and cells, which are key solar PV elements, and for assembling them into solar panels (also known as modules), exceeded demand by at least 100% at the end of 2021. By contrast, production of polysilicon, the key material for solar PV, is currently a bottleneck in an otherwise oversupplied supply chain.

Why are solar PV module prices declining?

The study reveals several other important findings. Market and technological development are key factors explaining the decline in solar PV module prices. Moreover, government policies such as public budget for R&D in PV and feed-in tariff for solar PV are effective in reducing the price of solar PV modules.

Do crude oil import prices affect solar PV module prices?

Finally, crude oil import price increases have a positive influence on solar PV module prices. This finding could be explained on the grounds that higher imported oil prices can lead to an increase in demand for solar PV panels through the substitution effect.