Survey captures wide-spread optimism for solar’s future, but respondents divided over AI

Nearly two-thirds of a survey’s respondents said they believe solar will become the dominant energy source in their country. However, the survey also captured many challenges the OEMs, technicians and solar installers face.

December 16, 2024 Rachel Metea

Image: pv magazine

A survey conducted by conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Fluke Corporation captures optimism over solar’s future and division over AI integration.

Nearly two-thirds of the survey’s respondents (63%) said they believe solar will become the dominant energy source in their country. However, the survey also captured many challenges the respondents face.

The survey consisted of more than 400 solar OEMs, technicians and installers from the U.S., the U.K. and Spain.

More than 90% of the respondents reported concerns about the current generation of solar modules’ efficiency. Inverter failures were found to be a common issue among 39% of those surveyed.

The research revealed that nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%), believe solar will become the dominant energy source in their country. However, the survey also captured many challenges the respondents face.

The survey revealed a significant concern over the skills shortage, Fluke said, “especially as data tracking through smart technology becomes more integral to the solar industry’s future.” More than half (53%) said there is a need for more focused training in electrical troubleshooting and diagnostics. Additionally, 59% said it is important to train technicians to effectively use advanced diagnostic tools to meet evolving challenges.

Less than half (45%) of those surveyed said they see AI integration in solar panel design, optimization, and maintenance as a promising opportunity for advancement. A minority (36%) of the respondents said they are eager to adopt AI-powered diagnostics to enhance maintenance efficacy.

According to Fluke, 28.7% of the respondents use “a reactive maintenance approach,” while about 52% use external services rather than in-house maintenance teams.

More than half of those surveyed also identified supply chain resilience as a major concern for installers, with macro-economic and geo-political trends continuing to create uncertainty, Fluke said.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.