Abstract:

According to European Commission, photovoltaics (PV), is considered to be the fastest growing renewable energy source in the European Union. The supply chain of PV panels is a complex chain prone to various risks. The aim of this paper is to present and analyze risks in the PV panel supply chain. The proposed methodology to find and analyze proper literature from Scopus database consisting of 8 steps led to answering 4 research questions, providing a fresh look at the current issues in PV supply chain, considering the horizon of the last eleven years (2014-until now). A large number of articles (19,914) regarding risks or problems with PV panels published in Scopus database from 2014 until now emphasizes the importance and relevance of the analyzed subject. The study revealed a growing trend in the number of published articles, which highlights growing interest in risks in PV panel supply chain in the analyzed years. It was found out that over the years, many studies have been conducted that identified and analyzed various types of problems occurring at different links in the PV panel supply chain, among others: raw materials quality and availability problems, manufacturing problems, fire risk, PV modules degradation, breakdown of various elements of the PV installation, EVA discoloration, hot-spots, corrosion, delamination, bubbles, cracks, partial shading, improper design or installation, damages during transportation, late deliveries, and recycling issues. The study also revealed the global publication trends that the main authors coming from China published the most papers on the analyzed subject (22), and in the second place is the Australia (9).