l'Actualité du Solaire

The photovoltaic industry on 22 March according to InfoLink

Silicon :

Its price is slightly down on the previous week, settling at RMB 200-220/kg.

Stocks and high-priced deliveries are decreasing. The lowest price range is approaching 190 RMB/kg, with pressure from wafer manufacturers on tier 2 and 3 producers.

Purchases are slowing down and stocks are slowly being depleted. This is prompting some producers to accept lower prices in negotiations. However, a significant drop in prices cannot be expected in the short term.

Chips :

Prices are changing again. Prices for 182 mm wafers with a thickness of 150 μm are increasing by 1.1% week-on-week to RMB 6.4-6.5/piece. This is a consequence of price increases by all manufacturers, including the two major ones (LONGi and Zhonghuan), which have resolved earlier discrepancies in their pricing strategies.

Prices for 210 mm-150 μm wafers remain unchanged. With the current price level, 210 mm-150μm wafers have a better price-performance ratio per watt.

External sales volumes are decreasing. The number of wafers available on the spot market is slowly increasing. Cell manufacturers are adjusting their utilisation rates to the tightening of wafer supply: they face a dilemma, as the panel sector is not accepting cell price increases, while wafer prices show no signs of falling sharply this month.

Cells :

Given the limited acceptance of the panel sector, cell prices are unchanged, despite marginal price increases from Zhonghuan this week.

G12 cells are more expensive than M10 cells due to the shortage. This can be attributed to two reasons. Firstly, developers will start buying panels in April. As the delivery date approaches, the demand for M10 and G12 cells from panel manufacturers increases. Secondly, the market is looking for greater efficiency and power. Therefore, when the supply of high efficiency M10 cells fails to meet demand, customers turn to G12 cells. However, the supply of G12 cells has not yet increased effectively, leading to a shortage in recent times.

Cell prices this week remain at RMB 1.07-1.09/W for M10 cells, and RMB 1.1/W for G12 cells. Dollar prices remain higher by 0.03-0.04 RMB/W.

N-cell prices remain high, at 1.2-1.22 RMB/W for TOPCon M10 cells, with a premium of 0.12-0.14 RMB/W over P-cells. For G12 HJT cells, most of the orders are from markets outside China.

As the new technology is still in its infancy, panel manufacturers are making small concessions this week, setting prices at RMB 1.3-1.4/W. The supply of N-type cells will increase further as more and more manufacturers prepare TOPCon production capacity for external sales.

The panels :

In anticipation of rising demand, panel manufacturers will increase their utilisation rates in April to 37-39 GW.

Panel prices in China and abroad have recently stabilised. For panels over 500 W, prices are between RMB 1.7 and 1.73/W; the low range is between RMB 1.65 and 1.68/W. The high range is decreasing due to overseas deliveries of panels. The top of the price range is decreasing as shipments at RMB 1.8/W come to an end.

Overall, panel prices are expected to fall slightly in the face of increased competition. Tenders indicate a downward trend in prices in the second half of the year. The pressure to reduce prices will gradually be passed on to the upstream sectors.

In Europe, prices are holding at $0.21-0.225/W as demand shows signs of recovery this month.

N-type panels are seeing prices fall slightly this week. For G12 HJT panels, prices range from RMB 1.9-0.95/W, while remaining at $0.26/W in non-Chinese markets. M10 TOPCon panels are at RMB 1.77-1.85/W this week due to order signings. Panel manufacturers are sealing orders for the second quarter at RMB 1.77-1.8/W. In non-Chinese markets, prices are holding at $0.235/W.

https://www.infolink-group.com/energy-article/pv-spot-price-20230322

InfoLink of 22 March 2023