Global Flexible PV Cell Market by Size, by Type, by Application, by Region, History and Forecast 2020-2031

Summary

A flexible PV cell which is also known as thin film solar cell that is made by depositing very thin layers of photovoltaics material on any kind of substrate, such as, paper, tissue, plastic, glass or metal. It is one of the most revolutionary and epoch making technologies in the sector of solar energy.

The significance of the word “flexible” is that, these kind of solar cells are not like those traditional big, bulky solar panels which is very common nowadays, these are literally flexible, very thin, lightweight, have very little installation cost and can be installed anywhere without going much trouble.

Thickness of a typical cell varies from a few nanometers to few micrometers, whereas its’s predecessor crystalline-silicon solar cell (c-Si) has a wafer size up to 200 micrometers.

In this report, we define flexible PV cells as PV modues fabricated on flexible substrate materials (most commonly used substrates are polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and metal foils such as stainless steel (SS) and titanium (Ti)), including flexible a-Si thin film cells, flexible CIGS cells, flexible CdTe cells, OPV cells, flexible DSSC and flexible perovskite PV.

Silicon (Si) solar cells dominate the PV market (92%) followed by cadmium telluride (CdTe, 5%), copper indium gallium selenide (CuInGaSe2or CIGS, 2%) and amorphous silicon (a-Si:H, ~1%). Si wafer with thickness around 180 μm is the traditional materialbeing used for module manufacturing and it has attained significant level of maturity at the industrial level. Its production cost is amajor concern for energy applications. About 50% of the cost of Si solar cells production is due to Si substrate, and device processingand module processing accounts for 20% and 30% respectively.

An alternate to Si solar cells is the thin film solar cells fabricated on glass substrates. The main demerits of using glass substratesare fragile nature of modules, cost of glass wafer having thickness of 300–400 μm, and low specific power (kW/kg) etc. Specific poweris an important factor when solar cells are used in space applications. A high specific power exceeding 2 kW/kg can be achieved by flexible solar cells on polymer films which is useful for terrestrial as well as space applications. Production cost can be lowered byusing flexible substrates and roll-to-roll production (R2R) technique. Apart from light weight, flexibility and less cost of installation,flexible cell processing involves low thermal budget with low material consumption. Other than solar cell applications, smallerspecialized applications are beginning to become more viable independent markets, including applications for mobile power and building or product integration, which can benefit greatly from flexible thin film options. Flexible cells on buildings (known asbuilding integrated photovoltaics or BIPV) can minimize the cost of support, shipments etc., and installations can be handled easily. However, flexible solar cell technology is less mature when compared to the cells fabricated on rigid substrate counterpart.

Due to four main requirements - high efficiency, low-cost production, high throughput and high specific power, a major researchand development focus has been shifted towards flexible solar cells. It can offer a unique way to reach terawatt scale installation byusing high throughput R2R fabrication technique. Most commonly used substrates are polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and metal foils such as stainless steel (SS) and titanium (Ti).

The performance of flexible solar cells is comparable to rigid substrates. Flexible substrates are more advantageous than standardsoda-lime glass (SLG) substrates. As mentioned below, there are several merits of using flexible substrates:

• Flexible modules are best suited for curved surfaces and used in BIPV. Since modules are produced from thin film materials it issuitable for mass production.

• An important benefit is that it has potential to reduce the production cost. R2R deposition is beneficial in terms of production costthan that of rigid substrates. Glass cover is an added expense when rigid substrates are used.

• Materials required to produce CIGS, CdTe and a-Si:H flexible modules are much cheaper than conventional Si wafer, glass cover,frames used in Si modules.

• For roof top application, flexible modules are ideal due to light weight. Using lightweight support, it can be installed over the rooftop where glass covered conventional heavy and bulky Si modules are not suitable when roof test fails due to an added weight andstructural issues. Flexible modules can also be installed over the roof of the vehicle, uneven surfaces of building.

• Installation/labor cost is much lower for flexible modules due to less installation time since racking assembly, glass cover etc. arenot required.

• Low power output flexible modules for example a-Si:H require large number of modules to get desired output which can beinstalled easily above the roof top.

• Glass covered rigid modules are fragile. Flexible modules are not fragile it can be rolled up, transported and handled easily.

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies are basically divided into two big categories: wafer-based PV (also called 1st generation PV) and thin-film cell PV. The emerging thin-film PVs are also called 3rd generation PVs, which refer to PVs using technologies that have the potential to overcome Shockley-Queisser limit or are based on novel semiconductors. The 3rd generation PVs include DSSC, organic photovoltaic (OPV), quantum dot (QD) PV and perovskite PV. The cell efficiencies of perovskite are approaching that of commercialized 2nd generation technologies such as CdTe and CIGS. Other emerging PV technologies are still struggling with lab cell efficiencies lower than 15%.

According to APO Research, The global Flexible PV Cell market is projected to grow from US$ million in 2025 to US$ million by 2031, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of % during the forecast period.

The US & Canada market for Flexible PV Cell is estimated to increase from $ million in 2025 to reach $ million by 2031, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2025 through 2031.

Asia-Pacific market for Flexible PV Cell is estimated to increase from $ million in 2025 to reach $ million by 2031, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2025 through 2031.

The China market for Flexible PV Cell is estimated to increase from $ million in 2025 to reach $ million by 2031, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2025 through 2031.

Europe market for Flexible PV Cell is estimated to increase from $ million in 2025 to reach $ million by 2031, at a CAGR of % during the forecast period of 2025 through 2031.

The major global manufacturers of Flexible PV Cell include PowerFilm, Inc., Panasonic, infinityPV, Flisom, Sun Harmonics, F-WAVE Company, Heliatek GmbH, HyET Solar and Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc, etc. In 2024, the world's top three vendors accounted for approximately % of the revenue.

In terms of production side, this report researches the Flexible PV Cell production, growth rate, market share by manufacturers and by region (region level and country level), from 2020 to 2025, and forecast to 2031.

In terms of consumption side, this report focuses on the sales of Flexible PV Cell by region (region level and country level), by company, by type and by application. from 2020 to 2025 and forecast to 2031.

This report presents an overview of global market for Flexible PV Cell, capacity, output, revenue and price. Analyses of the global market trends, with historic market revenue or sales data for 2020 - 2024, estimates for 2025, and projections of CAGR through 2031.

This report researches the key producers of Flexible PV Cell, also provides the consumption of main regions and countries. Of the upcoming market potential for Flexible PV Cell, and key regions or countries of focus to forecast this market into various segments and sub-segments. Country specific data and market value analysis for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Middle East, Africa, and Other Countries.

This report focuses on the Flexible PV Cell sales, revenue, market share and industry ranking of main manufacturers, data from 2020 to 2025. Identification of the major stakeholders in the global Flexible PV Cell market, and analysis of their competitive landscape and market positioning based on recent developments and segmental revenues. This report will help stakeholders to understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights and position their businesses and market strategies in a better way.

This report analyzes the segments data by type and by application, sales, revenue, and price, from 2020 to 2031. Evaluation and forecast the market size for Flexible PV Cell sales, projected growth trends, production technology, application and end-user industry.


Flexible PV Cell Segment by Company

PowerFilm, Inc.
Panasonic
infinityPV
Flisom
Sun Harmonics
F-WAVE Company
Heliatek GmbH
HyET Solar
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc

Flexible PV Cell Segment by Type

CIGS
a-Si
OPV
Others

Flexible PV Cell Segment by Application

BIPV
Transportation & Mobility
Defense & Aerospace
Consumer & Portable Power
Others

Flexible PV Cell Segment by Region

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico
Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Russia

Spain

Netherlands

Switzerland

Sweden

Poland
Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

South Korea

India

Australia

Taiwan

Southeast Asia
South America

Brazil

Argentina

Chile
Middle East & Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Israel

Türkiye

GCC Countries

Study Objectives

1. To analyze and research the global status and future forecast, involving, production, value, consumption, growth rate (CAGR), market share, historical and forecast.
2. To present the key manufacturers, capacity, production, revenue, market share, and Recent Developments.
3. To split the breakdown data by regions, type, manufacturers, and Application.
4. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints, and risks.
5. To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regions.
6. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

Reasons to Buy This Report

1. This report will help the readers to understand the competition within the industries and strategies for the competitive environment to enhance the potential profit. The report also focuses on the competitive landscape of the global Flexible PV Cell market, and introduces in detail the market share, industry ranking, competitor ecosystem, market performance, new product development, operation situation, expansion, and acquisition. etc. of the main players, which helps the readers to identify the main competitors and deeply understand the competition pattern of the market.
2. This report will help stakeholders to understand the global industry status and trends of Flexible PV Cell and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.
3. This report will help stakeholders to understand competitors better and gain more insights to strengthen their position in their businesses. The competitive landscape section includes the market share and rank (in volume and value), competitor ecosystem, new product development, expansion, and acquisition.
4. This report stays updated with novel technology integration, features, and the latest developments in the market.
5. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into which regions to target globally.
6. This report helps stakeholders to gain insights into the end-user perception concerning the adoption of Flexible PV Cell.
7. This report helps stakeholders to identify some of the key players in the market and understand their valuable contribution.

Chapter Outline

Chapter 1: Provides an overview of the Flexible PV Cell market, including product definition, global market growth prospects, production value, capacity, and average price forecasts (2020-2031).
Chapter 2: Analysis key trends, drivers, challenges, and opportunities within the global Flexible PV Cell industry.
Chapter 3: Detailed analysis of Flexible PV Cell market competition landscape. Including Flexible PV Cell manufacturers' output value, output and average price from 2020 to 2025, as well as competition analysis indicators such as origin, product type, application, merger and acquisition information, etc.
Chapter 4: Provides the analysis of various market segments by type, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different market segments.
Chapter 5: Provides the analysis of various market segments by application, covering the market size and development potential of each market segment, to help readers find the blue ocean market in different downstream markets.
Chapter 6: Provides profiles of key players, introducing the basic situation of the main companies in the market in detail, including product production/output, value, price, gross margin, product introduction, recent development, etc.
Chapter 7: Production/Production Value of Flexible PV Cell by region. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region in the next six years.
Chapter 8: Consumption of Flexible PV Cell in regional level and country level. It provides a quantitative analysis of the market size and development potential of each region and its main countries and introduces the market development, future development prospects, market space, and production of each country in the world.
Chapter 9: Analysis of industrial chain, including the upstream and downstream of the industry.
Chapter 10: Concluding Insights of the report.

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