L R AS Published on Saturday 30 September 2023 - n° 459 - Categories:Europe
At EU PVSEC, professionals call for protective measures
At EU PVSEC in Lisbon, Europe pales in comparison with the success of the United States and India. Even Meyer Burger has halted its investments in Europe to build
a 2 GW cell and panel factory in the United States.
Prior to this conference, the price of crystalline photovoltaic panels fell sharply in key markets, fuelling fears that the European photovoltaic industry, which was just beginning to recover, would be crushed as a collateral victim of the crisis by the infighting between the main Chinese manufacturers.European photovoltaic industry, which was just beginning to recover, would be crushed as a collateral victim of the crisis by the infighting between the main Chinese photovoltaic panel manufacturers.
By setting up factories in China, Chinese manufacturers have aggressively increased their production capacity over the last eighteen months, resulting in an increasingly pronounced oversupply situation. The extent of the oversupply of panels became truly apparent in May this year.
Panel prices
Solar Power Europe and the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) are calling for immediate rescue measures to avoid a new wave of bankruptcies, which they fear will affect their members, if prices continue to remain between €0.15/Wp and €0.17/Wp.
PV Magazine of 29 September 2023
Editor's note: European manufacturers have been taken by surprise by the rapid fall in panel prices and the surge in supply. Their dismay is understandable. But the fact remains that Chinese manufacturers were well aware of this influx and made no attempt to limit it. Why didn't they compare the volume of panel installations in 2021 (25.9 GW, up 34% on 2020) with the 86.6 GW ordered by wholesalers in 2022, i.e. more than three times the demand? Clearly there is an attempt to whitewash Chinese manufacturers in order to avoid European retaliatory measures.
