L R AS Published on Saturday 9 December 2023 - n° 469 - Categories:the prices
Developments in the PV sector this week
On 6 December, the China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association published the latest transaction prices for solar-grade silicon. N-type silicon ranged from
65 and 70 per kilogram, with an average of RMB 68.10 per kilogram. This represents a fall of 0.15% on the previous week.
The price of N-type panels fell below 1 RMB/watt.
PV Tech of 8 September 2023
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The price of high-quality silicon remains stable while the price of panels continues to decline
Silicon :
Demand for silicon continued to rise as the ingot segment maintained higher utilisation rates. This month's production increase is expected to reach 67 to 68 GW, an increase of 6 to 7% month-on-month, mainly attributed to new capacity. However, the share of high-grade silicon in the supply structure has not yet increased significantly. Manufacturers need more time to improve quality while increasing capacity.
The price of high quality silicon from major manufacturers, required for N-type ingots, is between RMB 65 and 68/kg.
The price of silicon lump and granular silicon is between 61 and 64 RMB/kg and between 58 and 62 RMB/kg.
Prices underpinned by growing demand for high quality silicon
Wafers :
Prices continued to fall in the first week of December. Demand is fluctuating for the different formats, leading to price variations. Stock levels remained stable this week, with a slight rebound for P-type chips and no significant change for N-type chips.
Average wafer prices continued their slow decline this week. Prices for P-type M10 wafers fell to 2.2 RMB/piece, with the low end of the price range reaching 2.1 RMB/piece, compared with 3.3 RMB/piece for G12 wafers.
The price of N-type M10 wafers fell to RMB2.35 a piece, but at a slower rate than that of their P-type counterparts due to sustained demand from the cell sector. Nevertheless, some products were trading at last week's average price of 2.4 RMB/piece. For N-type G12 wafers, prices remain at 3.4 RMB/piece.
By the end of the year, there will be less demand for M10 P-type wafers. At the same time, manufacturers are cutting back or eliminating production of P-type M10 cells. The price of P-type cells will fall, which will also affect the price of N-type wafers. The price of P-type G12 wafers will fall once the November orders have been delivered. However, the price of G12 N-type wafers should stabilise.
Cells :
Most manufacturers have considerably reduced production of M10 PERC cells. Some have even closed old production lines to stem ongoing cash losses. Vertically integrated companies, on the other hand, have maintained a high utilisation rate thanks to their ability to control costs and sell their production downstream. Monthly cell production remains between 61 and 62 GW.
The price of P-type M10 cells is falling, trading mainly at 0.4 RMB/W. The price of P-type G12 cells fell by 22% to 0.45 RMB/W. This mainly reflects the completion of projects in China and the end of the mismatch between supply and demand that existed at the start of the month.
The price of N-type M10 cells remained between 0.49 and 0.50 RMB/W. The price of high-efficiency G12 HJT cells, mainly for internal use, was between 0.65 and 0.70 RMB/W.
Due to the continued decline in demand for M10 N-type products, the price difference between N-type and P-type cells has widened to RMB0.09-0.1/W. Demand for PERC is falling rapidly as the market shifts to N-type products, accelerating the replacement of equipment and production lines.
Current prices and oversupply are deterring new players from starting production.
Panels :
Panel prices have stabilised temporarily, mainly due to the conclusion of projects around the world, signalling the start of the off-season. Above all, manufacturers are looking to fill their order books for January. Some are using their production costs as a basis for pricing
The price of monofacial panels using PERC M10 cells is stabilising at between 0.9 and 1.03 RMB/W, approaching 0.92-0.93 RMB/W for new orders. Some panel manufacturers are offering prices below 0.9 RMB/W. On the spot market, prices are 0.7X-0.8X/W RMB.
The price of monofacial panels using PERC G12 cells is stabilising at between 1.03 and 1.1 RMB/W, reaching 0.95-1 RMB/W for new orders.
The price of TOPCon panels varies from 0.9 to 1.20 RMB/W (compared with 1.08 to 1.18 RMB/W). Manufacturers are starting to lower their prices to between 0.98 and 1.05 RMB/W and even between 0.97 and 0.98 RMB/W. For next year, contracts are being signed down to 0.88 RMB/W.
In thefirst half of 2024, the low-cost range of P-type and N-type panels could be the same during the off-season.
Production costs are limiting the fall in HJT panel prices, which are between RMB1.25 and RMB1.35/W in China and between $0.16 and $0.17/W outside China. In 2024, the price war between HJT and TOPCon will dominate.
https://www.infolink-group.com/energy-article/pv-spot-price-20231206
InfoLink 6 December 2023
