The market appears to be like the weather in Germany – mild temperatures in January accelerated the inclination among Germans to purchase photovoltaic power plants and components somewhat faster than otherwise is the case at the beginning of the year.
And nevertheless, ice and snow will inevitably let the German market freeze. Stagnating prices for cells and modules at declined rates of remuneration will then take care of the rest.
As already expected, the prices for crystalline modules from every region of origin have hardly changed over the turn of the year. The trend even appears to be slightly upward, since inexpensive remaining shares have been almost completely swept from the market. Regular commodities from China cannot be obtained in the EU below the agreed minimum price. Although all kinds of tricks are used with which importers believe they are able to circumvent the antidumping directives, this is not without substantial risks. Thus every prospective buyer would be well-advised to have the origin of the modules – as well as the cells employed – precisely documented, even if the buyer will not directly affected by a subsequent penalty duty. Any possible warranty and guarantee matters are clarified more easily if the upstream supplier still exists and is able to be identified.
The strongest demand in Europe is currently in Great Britain. Project developers have to complete their large power stations before subsidies within the scope of the RO program (Renewables Obligation) are to be cut in the second quarter. According to their own information several European module manufacturers are providing supplies almost exclusively to the British Isles. In the rest of Europe demand is more reserved, at least as far as conventional PV installations are concerned. However, tests of alternatives beyond state-controlled remuneration rates can be increasingly seen. The market for energy storage remains one of the greatest sources of hope in the year just started, ushered in by numerous product announcements and supporting information events and conferences.
It will also be interesting to see whether the list of 109 photovoltaic companies that are particularly eligible for subsidies as recently published by the Chinese government will lead to disruptions among the Chinese industry. Only those companies that appear on this list from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) may look forward to further subsidies as well as participation in government invitations to tender. However, not all analysts and market experts share the opinion that this will lead to accelerated consolidation among Chinese manufacturers.