Market Analysis

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MARKET ANALYSIS: Price development of solar modules

Here you will find the complete collection of all articles on the price development of solar modules as well as commentaries on the PV market development, which are also published in trade journals such as pv magazine or photovoltaik as well as on online platforms such as Solarserver or EUWID Energie.

Monitoring the price development of solar modules is of crucial importance for investors, manufacturers and other players in the solar energy industry. A sound understanding of market trends makes it possible to make the most of opportunities and take forward-looking decisions.

As a way to stay informed about PV price developments and other important trends, pvXchange Solarshop offers a monthly market report. This report provides regularly updated information and analysis to give readers a comprehensive picture of the solar market and help them make informed decisions. Additional information on the development of the PV market is also available in our photovoltaic price index.

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PV Expert Dipl.-Ing. Martin Schachinger

Managing Partner | Business Development

Founder and Managing Director Martin Schachinger has been involved with photovoltaics for almost 30 years. Since 2008, he has regularly surveyed module prices and written market commentaries that have made him a sought-after expert in the international solar industry.


18.01.2013

As expected, in December the PV market saw again declines in prices for silicon modules as well as for thin-film technologies. The main reason for this is likely to be efforts of both suppliers and wholesalers to reduce stocks at the end of the year.

18.12.2012

The prices for solar modules kept on falling from November to December. The main reason might be the effort of distributors to keep their stocks as small as possible at the end of the year. 2012 has been a turbulent year for the solar industry in general, characterized by a continuous, rapid price decline. Within the last 12 months the prices for crystalline modules from China decreased the most (-34%), but there has been a significant drop in prices in all categories, ranging between 25% and 34%.

29.10.2012

Like last month, September began with slightly lower prices. This time, however, both Tier-1 and Tier-2 manufacturers were affected alike. This downward trend was reinforced in the course of the month which was especially due to the efforts of suppliers to clear their old stocks at quarter end. After these clearance sales and in line with rising global demand, the average prices slightly increased again in the last week of September. In total, the values of our price index in September continue to be below previous month's values. The only exception to this is the category of "thin-film CdS / CdTe” where prices remained stable.

29.09.2012

The price reductions of module manufacturers, in response to feed-in tariff cuts in several important markets, resulted in increased market activity and stronger global demand in August compared to the month of July. After the module price declines of tier 2 manufacturers in late July, tier 1 manufacturers followed by the middle of August as sales had slowed down. Overall, a downward trend was observed in all of the categories in the first two weeks of August. In the second half of August prices stabilized, however returned to the lower level and remained unchanged until the last week of August. As a result, all six values of our price index for August are below the ones in July.

02.08.2012

Overall, prices for crystalline modules, which again dominated demand on our marketplace, fell for the month of June by 2.1 to 4.3% on average. Crystalline modules from China recorded the highest price decrease with a fall of 4.3%.

08.06.2012

In May, the values on our price index fell only slightly against the previous month’s figures. Demand on our platform continues to be concentrated more intensely on crystalline modules, which saw a 2% to 3% fall in prices in May. Overall demand was very low, with thin-film modules in the “thin-film a-Si/µ-Si” category experiencing the strongest activity.

16.05.2012

As in March, there was only a moderate price downturn in the values of our price index for April. Once again, crystalline modules made up the highest proportion of the activity. Due to the ongoing low availability of modules from Chinese Tier 1 manufacturers on the spot market, the proportion of Tier 2 manufacturers in the category “crystalline China” increased again, continuing a trend seen in March. In contrast, there was very little demand for thin-film modules.

13.04.2012

With the exception of the “thin-film a-Si” category, prices have continued to fall in March. However, the fall in prices was much more moderate than the falls in recent months. Activity on our platform continued its strong shift towards crystalline modules, while thin film module activity showed a significant year-on-year decline. The most significant price shifts were observed in the case of Chinese Tier 2 manufacturers, which led to a fall of close to 4% in the “crystalline China” category in March. In contrast, the prices for Chinese Tier 1 manufacturers showed little activity and remained stable, due primarily to the very low availability of European warehouse stock. As a result, the price difference relative to Chinese Tier 2 manufacturers also grew and some buyers were prepared to accept price increases of more than 20%.

16.03.2012

Although the uptrend in prices, above all with regard to Chinese Tier 1 manufacturers, was still recognizable at the end of January, prices (including those for crystalline modules) have again fallen slightly in February. As a result, the values of the price index in all categories lie below those of the previous month. This is due to the fact that increasing numbers of orders were placed with pvXchange (now sologico) for modules from Tier 2 manufacturers to cover for the scarcity of modules available in Europe. In contrast, prices remained constant for Tier 1 manufacturers and, for several module types, were in fact even higher than the January values.

10.02.2012

Compared with the consistent price falls in previous months, the situation in January was more complicated. Although the results show that prices were indeed lower than in the previous month, the second half of the month showed a slight upward trend, especially in the case of Chinese Tier 1 manufacturers. The prices for thin-film modules, however, continued to fall.

12.01.2012

The prices for solar modules continued to fall in December. As a result of efforts to completely clear or maintain their warehouse stocks at a low level before the new year, many dealers were prepared to offer considerable discounts. This was particularly noticeable in the case of modules from Tier 2 and Tier 3 manufacturers. Regarding demand, it was clear that, to a large extent, customer demand focused on only a few Tier 1 manufacturers, and that they were prepared to accept higher prices for these particular products. Following considerable stockpiling in the first half of the year, numerous dealers avoided a build-up of new stock towards the end of the year. Several of the module types from the manufacturers in greatest demand were thus either no longer available at all, or available only at increased prices. Consequently, price deterioration was slightly more moderate than expected.