When a few weeks ago two of Pakistan’s car assemblers said that they would not be able to timely deliver car orders due to a shortage of semiconductor chips probably no one would have thought it could even affect their plans to have affordable electricity.
The global shortage of chips has started haunting Pakistani consumers of cars and households that are planning to install solar panels to save their cost of electricity due to soaring power bills. The shortage has affected the prices as well as pushing back the delivery times from four to six weeks, according to the industry players.
More countries are now pushing to produce their own semiconductor chips, which are in short supply globally, because “it’s a matter of national security,”
According to media reports, South Korea, China and the United States have announced plans to fund semiconductors research and their manufacturing at homes. While many industries have largely recovered from the pandemic disruptions, the solar industry may continue to remain exposed for the next few months, at least.
Semiconductor chips, which are used in a diverse array of industries, including automobiles and consumer electronics, are a critical component of solar inverters an integral part of the solar energy system that converts solar power from direct current to the alternating current that we use in our homes.
The global chip shortage crisis emanated in mid-2020 when countries started imposing lockdowns to counter the Covid-19 spread. With more and more people staying at and working from home, the demand for electronics, and the computer chips they contain, skyrocketed.
The shortage crisis further worsened due to a sharp rebound in demand from the automobile industry in the second half of that year. Ever since then, the severely overloaded semi-conductor industry has struggled to keep pace with the market demand of around 160 industries.
It was reported a few days ago that the global semiconductor chip crisis is affecting the supply chain and production of automobiles in the country as buyers face months-long delays in the delivery of vehicles. The chip shortage, which began in the first quarter of 2021 in Asia, hit the global auto industry hard as the demand for semi-conductors increased after lockdowns were lifted.
The nature of the global supply chain disruption is unprecedented. According to Grant Anderson, VP Supply Chain at Jabil a leading global contract manufacturer “This pandemic is unlike any other crisis in our lifetime.
