l'Actualité du Solaire

Silicon :

Supply and demand have been in balance in recent days. The significant increase in demand from ingot and wafer manufacturers has unravelled the situation. The price

varied little. Producers concentrated on delivering orders. However, the supply of silicon, particularly high quality silicon for N-type products, is subject to delivery delays. There has been no increase in stocks. They are between seven and ten days' production. Inventories are mainly held by second-tier manufacturers.

Wafers :

Prices have continued to fall; each format has its own dynamics, and therefore its own price trends. Demand for M10 P-type wafers fell sharply as a result of the technological change underway, leading to a drop in prices. Manufacturers have accelerated the switch to N-type inserts.

Rectangular wafers of 182 mm and 183.75 mm are experiencing mismatches between supply and demand. For N-type M10 wafers, despite slight price falls recently, supply and demand have remained relatively stable, as the falls are mainly due to lower prices for P-type wafers. Prices for 210 mm wafers have changed little, due to a more concentrated supply.

The price of P-type M10 wafers has fallen to 2.1 RMB/piece, returning to the lower end of last week's range, while the price of G12 wafers remains at 3.3 RMB/piece. For N-type M10 wafers, transaction prices fell in line with their P-type counterparts, albeit at a slower pace due to increasing demand from cell manufacturers using N-type wafers. The price of N-type M10 cells fell to 2.3 RMB/piece. The majority of trading is at the lower end of last week's range. The price of G12 wafers has stabilised, mainly at 3.35 RMB/piece.

Price trends will depend on stock levels.

Cells :

The price of P cells continued to fall this week, by 4 to 5% compared with last week. The price of M10 cells returned to the lowest price range of last week, mainly at 0.38 RMB/W. G12 cells traded at 0.43 RMB/W after continued price falls.

The price of N-type M10 cells fell slightly this week to 0.48-0.49 RMB/W. G12 HJT cells, mainly for internal use and to a lesser extent for external sales, saw prices settle between 0.65 and 0.7 RMB/W for high efficiency cells. Due to the continued fall in demand for 182mm PERC products, the price differential between N and P cells widened to 0.1 RMB/W.

With the fall in wafer prices, prices for M10 TOPCon cells could fall further next week.

Stock levels vary between cell manufacturers. Some have seen stock levels rise slowly, with PERC in the majority, while a few have maintained stock levels in the week following production due to drastic production cuts. Due to poor profitability, most manufacturers have reduced production of 182mm PERC cells. Some manufacturers are modifying their production lines for 183.75mm rectangular cells, for which they believe market demand remains. Several manufacturers have shut down their obsolete PERC production lines to stop cash losses.

Industry-wide unprofitability is prompting manufacturers to propose various strategies and decisions. Some have reduced or stopped production, while others are using cash reserves to sustain production and compete for market share.

Panels :

Board prices have temporarily stabilised. For mono-facial panels based on 182mm PERC cells, prices have stabilised 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, or even 0.85 RMB/W. For mono-facial panels based on 210mm PERC cells, prices were 1.03-1.1 RMB/W, reaching 0.95-1 RMB/W for new orders. The price difference between panels based on 182mm and 210mm cells will gradually reduce once the order is completed and will slowly decrease in the future.

Prices for TOPCon panels ranged from 0.9 RMB/W to 1.18 RMB/W. Previous orders were delivered between 1.08 and 1.18 RMB/W this week. Panel manufacturers have started to take orders between 0.98 and 1.05 RMB/W, potentially between 0.97 and 0.98 RMB/W. Negotiations for next year's orders have resulted in prices of 0.9 RMB/W, or even 0.88 RMB/W.

The price of HJT is stagnating due to cost problems and the fact that the market is not yet developed. Prices currently vary between 1.25 RMB/W and 1.35 RMB/W in China, while remaining stable between 0.160 and 0.170 $/W on non-Chinese markets.

With the onset of the poor season in overseas markets, the price of PERC panels has fallen to $0.12-0.13/W. There are reports of massive sales in progress, which are still disrupting prices on non-Chinese markets. Stock levels in Europe remain high. Some panel manufacturers are withdrawing or re-exporting stocks.

https://www.infolink-group.com/energy-article/pv-spot-price-20231213

InfoLink of December 13, 2023