Solar panel waiting time stretches to six months; Heat pump delays rising
More and more people are ordering heat pumps and solar panels to combat skyrocketing energy prices, and suppliers can't keep up, according to FD.
A labor shortage, combined with scarcity of materials, means that sustainable energy suppliers are unable to meet the demand from customers, a survey by NVDE, the trade association for these companies, shows. For the first half of 2022, turnover is 10 to 20 percent higher than last year.
Three quarters of companies reported difficulties getting the materials they needed to meet demands, such as inverters, computer chips and other electric parts for solar panels. Delivery times for these products are longer than they were in 2021, companies told FD. In additional, supply chains are still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Once a solar panel is ordered, there also needs to be someone who can install it. Personnel issues are also a major problem for sustainable energy companies, with one in three companies having a job vacancy open for over six months.
As a result, companies are increasingly looking to migrant workers to fill the gaps, according to FD. In June, the wait time for solar panels was around eight to 12 weeks, up from four weeks in 2021.
