Global Solar PV O&M Market Will Exceed 230 GW By 2018

The global market for utility-scale PV operations and maintenance (O&M) will reach 237 cumulative GW by the end of 2018, according to a new report from GTM Research and SoliChamba Consulting.

Unlike previous reporting from Bloomberg New Energy Finance which quantified China’s wind O&M market in terms of investment opportunity, whereas, according to author Cedric Brehaut, this latest report refers to “all operational PV assets above 1 MW, because all these plants have O&M contracts.”

Brehaut, who I spoke to in email, clarifies:

“Some are still under warranty, others not. Some use the original EPC or developer for O&M, others have switched to a different provider.”

The report predicts that global O&M will surpass 88 GW by the end of 2014, and then nearly tripling by the end of 2018 to 237 GW. Brehaut also approximated that the US and China represent 12% and 34% of the market in 2014, adding that “GTM Research expects these levels to remain similar (with a slight increase) by 2018.”

Cumulative Global Megawatt-Scale PV O&M Market 2007-2014 (GW)

‌

The report specifies the difference between O&M and Asset Management, but admits there is a blurring of the lines between the two when it comes to activities such as warranty management. Together, they represent the technical, administrative, and financial activities necessary to maintain the performance of a PV power plant over time.

 ‌