How Big is the PV Module EL Inspection Market?

PV module EL inspection (including equipment + services) is a core segment of PV testing. In 2025, the global market size is approximately 500 million USD, with China accounting for about 2.5 billion RMB, showing steady growth.

I. Core Market Size Data (2025-2026, Equipment Sales Focus)

Global Market

• 2024: 480 million USD (QYResearch)

• 2025: Approx. 500–520 million USD (CAGR≈4%)

• 2031: Forecast 630 million USD (CAGR≈4.0%)

China Market (Accounts for ~65%–70% of Global)

• 2024: Approx. 2.2–2.4 billion RMB

• 2025: Approx. 2.5–2.8 billion RMB

• 2026: Forecast 3.0–3.3 billion RMB (Growth Rate ~12%–15%)

II. Market Structure and Drivers

1. By Product Type

• Fixed Production Line EL: Accounts for 60% (Factory outgoing full inspection, per GW line investment approx. 8–12 million RMB)

• Portable EL: Accounts for 30% (Power plant arrival/acceptance/O&M, unit price 50,000–300,000 RMB/unit)

• Drone / Automated EL: Accounts for 10% (Rapid inspection of mountain/water/rooftop plants)

2. By Application Scenario

• Manufacturing (Factory Inspection): Approx. 55% (Driven by N-type/TOPCon/HJT expansion)

• Power Plant (O&M/Acceptance): Approx. 40% (Existing plants exceed 1000 GW, annual inspection demand surges)

• R&D / Third-party Testing: Approx. 5%

3. Core Growth Drivers

• Global annual new PV installations 500–600 GW, module capacity continues to expand

• High-efficiency modules like N-type, HJT, perovskite demand higher EL precision, per GW equipment investment increases 30%–50%

• Existing plants enter 5+ year O&M cycle, portable EL CAGR exceeds 15%

• Chinese manufacturers hold 65%–70% global share, exports drive growth

III. Relationship with Overall PV Inspection Market

• 2025 global PV inspection (including EL, IV, PL, IR, reliability, etc.): 4.0–4.5 billion USD

• EL inspection accounts for 12%–15% of the overall PV inspection market, an essential part of quality control.

The following table summarizes the 2026 market comparison for the three main categories: fixed production line, portable, and drone EL (data scope: equipment sales, excluding services).

2026 PV EL Inspection Equipment Market Segmentation (Global + China)

Key Notes

1. Fixed Production Line EL: Highest share (~60%), 2–4 units per GW line standard, N-type/TOPCon expansion drives price and demand.

2. Portable EL: Fastest growth, driven by existing plant O&M + distributed PV acceptance, dominated by cost-effective domestic models.

3. Drone EL: Emerging high-growth segment, AI + automation boost efficiency, suitable for complex terrain plants.

4. China's Share: ~65%–70% globally, local brands dominate portable and production line equipment.

The portable daylight EL tester SC-DEL-Portable, developed by Vision Potential's R&D team, uses an InGaAs sensor combined with patented filtering and phase-locking principles to perform EL testing 24 hours a day. It is one of the few known devices on the market capable of all-day EL testing.