L R AS Published on Sunday 10 September 2023 - n° 456 - Categories:the prices, panels
7% fall in panel prices this week
The price of panels in China has fallen to its lowest level ever, as buyers and sellers reiterate that the panel market continues to experience intense competition and weakening demand.
The price of PERC and TOPCon panels fell by 7% to $0.151/W and $0.157/W over the week. We are even seeing prices of $0.150/W for PERC and $0.153/W for TOPCon, according to OPIS data.
Sellers are fighting for market share and can only compete on price. Buyers are not rushing in because they expect prices to fall even further and will only enter the market then.
Suppliers are hampered by the high level of stocks abroad and the resulting financial charges. This is the case in Europe, but also in South-East Asia.
Even if the price of panels were to fall, installers are still faced with the fact that panels account for 50% of the total cost of a solar project.
However, market players are talking about a short-term increase in prices due to the rising costs of the various panel components. The price of sodium carbonate, used to make photovoltaic glass, has risen considerably, says one player in the sector, while another says the same for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), used as an encapsulant for the panels.
More generally, however, overcapacity problems continue to loom on the horizon. These could drive prices down. "Remember, 1 RMB/W before the end of the year", warned one market veteran.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/09/08/china-solar-module-prices-dive-to-record-low/
PV Magazine, 8 September 2023
Editor's note: This article mentions a downward trend in prices and at the same time a rise in silicon prices!
We had been told that there were too many silicon production units, and now we're being told that there is a shortage of silicon!
What is true is that panel production units are coming on stream at twice the rate of demand. Manufacturers are going to fight to sell and take up as much of their production capacity as possible. Since competitors will be doing the same, there will be an overflow of panels at a time when Europe is already overstocked. The trend is for prices to fall. The rumours from the silicon manufacturers are attempts to drive up prices, but this will have no reality.
