Chinese solar cell prices stable in quiet market – pv magazine International

September 20, 2024 DESCRIPTIONS

Cell prices were assessed as stable for the week to Tuesday as the Chinese market remained closed from September 15-17 due to the Mid-Autumn Holiday. FOB China Mono PERC M10 and TOPCon M10 cell prices were unchanged at $0.0354/W, while FOB China Mono PERC G12 cell prices were assessed as unchanged at $0.0372/W week-on-week in the absence of trading activity.

Demand was weak, with market participants sidelined by the holidays. Recent price declines in the mobile segment, amid uncertainty about when the downtrend will end, also dampened sentiment. M10 PERC cell prices have fallen 21.68% since January this year, while M10 TOPCon cell prices have fallen 39.4% in the same period through Tuesday, according to OPIS data.

A further drop in cell prices would cause manufacturers to close production lines, as current cell prices were below production costs. On the other hand, some market participants expect a small increase in cell prices after the holidays, as cell manufacturers were considering price increases amid modest increases in the upstream wafer segment over the past few weeks.

In the domestic Chinese market, prices were stable. Mono PERC M10 and TOPCon M10 were priced unchanged at CNY0.290 (USD0.041)/W, week-on-week, while Mono PERC G12 prices remained at CNY0.300/W compared to the previous week.

China exported about 4.65 GW of solar cells in July, most of which went to India, an industry source said.

Outside China, India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is seeking comments on draft guidelines for an Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar cells. The guidelines are to be implemented from April 1, 2026, according to a memorandum issued on September 7.

The memorandum states that all projects covered by the ALMM must source their PV modules from models and manufacturers included in the ALMM-I list for PV modules. These modules must in turn use PV cells from models and manufacturers included in the ALMM-II list for PV cells.

U.S. trade officials on Friday blocked a new 50% Section 301 tariff on cells, assembled into modules or not, from China. It would go into effect on Sept. 27. Interestingly, USTR in the same notice proposed that the same tariff apply to polysilicon and wafers from China. That would force Chinese companies to completely rethink their supply chains. The proposal for polysilicon and wafers will be subject to a public comment period, the details of which will be provided separately.

OPIS, a Dow Jones company, provides energy prices, news, data and analysis for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, LPG/NGL, coal, metals and chemicals, as well as renewable fuels and environmental commodities. In 2022, it acquired the price data assets of the Singapore Solar Exchange and now publishes the OPIS APAC Solar Weekly Report.

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