There were no real surprises in terms of the development of prices in February and March. Very little movement can be seen on the market at present.
The average prices have only shifted by plus/minus one cent around a stagnating average value for several weeks now. The upward trend among prices for crystalline modules from Southeast Asia has also come to a halt. In the price ranking Germany changed places with Japan/Korea and moved up to No. 1 – thus products from Asia are again more inexpensive than European or German PV modules.
Altogether though, prices are still too high to step up demand. Inexpensive alternatives are in demand – but rarely available. The employment of thin film modules is being considered again for the first time, in particular for larger photovoltaic projects in Central Europe. In recent weeks pvXchange registered increasing demand for thin film technologies. However, the offer is quite modest for lack of existing manufacturers. Numerous production facilities were ramped down in the past two years or shut down completely. Modules made from amorphous silicon are available as leftovers at best, while tandem and/or hybrid modules (a-Si/µ-Si) are barely manufactured due to a lack of demand. The few remaining manufacturers of this technology predominantly supply their products to projects near the equator where the modules prove to be especially effective due to their thermal properties and where the market is not as sensitive to prices.
The former thin film star First Solar is almost completely out of the picture. Distribution has been reduced to a minimum. For the most part only complaints are handled and, in small measure, plant extensions – but at less than attractive prices. After the company’s experiences with performance degradations that affected supplied products as a result of a production error in the year 2011, which led to large-scale recalls and replacements that persist to this day, First Solar largely withdrew from the European market. Today the manufacturer appears to produce its cadmium telluride modules predominantly for its own projects in the multi-megawatt segment in the USA and Asia.
Although CIGS modules can already keep pace with the efficiency of the crystalline competition, the active module surface and the maximum performance class are still much smaller with around 150 Wp for series products. In addition the specific prices are almost without exception above those of crystalline modules from all regions of origin – which disqualifies the product for larger photovoltaic systems. As a result the attempt has been made for years to position the company in the premium segment particularly among small-scale systems. However, brands such as SunPower, Panasonic, BenQ or LG with their high-performance crystalline cells are much more successful in this segment.
So Mr. EU Commissioner, what then remains in the lower price segment? Prices clearly below the fifty cent mark can only be realized in the European Union with no-name modules from often dubious sources, insolvency goods or scrap production. A switch to second class merchandise with reduced warranties or insolvency goods entirely without warranty is not an option – at least in the case of medium-sized to large-scale projects where price sensitivity plays a role, because investors and banks do not play along in most cases.