158.75mm arrives just in prime moment in the PV industry. Moving on to the readiness of 158.75 mm, the various supply chain blocks, equipment and eco system has all been ready, and the planned capacity levels are enough for commercial usage. The limited supply and demand will doom other size option to be a transition product, because it is possible to assume that by the time it is ready for mass production another groundbreaking technology will emerge.
Just like semiconductor business, the solar PV industry also kept pace with Moore’s Law, where the early innovators adopt higher cost until the supply ramps up. But once the capacity catches up, next generation technology is already around the corner. So the timing to move is extremely important. Cost and availability are always the critical factors having an impact on investors’ module choice.
158.75mm provides enough performance for most applications, which is why it will be a long-running spec. Beyond 158.75mm, there are several size options on the table, all still not available at large scale production. And it remains a question if these new spec. will ramp up on time. It is possible that the industry will try to standardize 158.75mm as much as possible according to the new product roadmap of the visibility in the landscape.
