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Global Solar Report 2025: Industry Faces $10 Billion Loss Due to Underperformance

The 2025 Global Solar Report by Raptor Maps highlights a critical challenge in the solar industry—escalating underperformance of solar assets, which resulted in a $10 billion revenue loss in 2024. This marks a 15% increase from the previous year and a 214% surge over five years, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of solar investments.

Key Findings

• Increasing Performance Loss: Average capacity loss jumped from 1.84% in 2020 to 5.77% in 2024, significantly affecting project revenues.
• Root Causes of Underperformance:
  • Inverter Failures: 37% - The largest contributor to energy loss.
  • String & Combiner Component Faults: 41% - Contributing to unexpected downtimes.
  • Module Failures: 50% of module-level anomalies - A sharp rise from 17% in 2023.
• Labor Shortage in O&M:
  • Mismatch between industry growth and workforce expansion: Installed capacity in the U.S. grew 182%, but O&M labor increased only by 91%.
  • High turnover: 27% of new O&M hires in 2024 were due to employee attrition.

Path Forward: Solutions for the Industry

• Technology Adoption:
  • AI & Digital Twin Models: Predict system failures and optimize maintenance schedules.
  • Robotics & Aerial Thermography: Improve inspections and reduce downtime.
• Proactive Maintenance:
  • Predictive Maintenance Protocols: Early detection of faults to prevent major failures.
  • Regular System Health Checks: Essential to maintain performance efficiency.
• Workforce Development:
  • Upskilling O&M Teams: Training on advanced diagnostic tools.
  • Retention Strategies: Ensuring a stable, skilled workforce to handle increasing capacity.