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Decision Criteria Spider Diagram
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Weighted Importance Ranking
Comprehensive analysis of how utility buyers and project developers weight key factors when selecting solar technology—based on direct survey responses from industry decision-makers across global markets.
How decision-maker priorities have evolved in the past 12 months
Top decision criteria vary significantly by market maturity and regulatory environment
Notable insights from cross-segment analysis
Grid service capabilities showed the largest year-over-year increase (+4.1%), driven by stricter interconnection requirements and new revenue opportunities from ancillary services markets. Utility-scale developers rate this 3× higher than residential installers.
For the first time, supply chain security entered the top-5 decision criteria, driven by trade policy uncertainties, tariff concerns, and AD/CVD investigations. North American respondents rate this 2.5× higher than global average.
Pure cost optimization declined for the second consecutive year as developers prioritize long-term reliability. 67% of respondents said they would pay 2-5% premium for modules with superior degradation warranties and bankability profiles.
78% of utility developers now specify bifacial modules as baseline requirement. Among those, 52% express preference for n-type (TOPCon/HJT) over p-type PERC, citing superior temperature coefficients and lower LID.
Respondent Profile: Survey participants include procurement managers, project developers, EPC contractors, and utility buyers responsible for equipment selection on projects ≥1 MW. Weighting methodology applies 100-point allocation across criteria categories. Regional segmentation follows BNEF market classifications. Results cross-validated against transaction data from PVInfoLink and S&P Global Commodity Insights.