Source: pv-tech.org
Polysilicon prices have risen by 8.6% to RMB230/kg (US$35.3/kg) this week following a power shoratege in China that has seen the government order silicon metal producers to curb their operations.
Producers of silicon metal in China have been told by the country’s government to shutter or reduce working hours while a power crisis grips the country, and in particular Yunnan Province. As a result, the price of solar-grade polysilicon has leapt by almost 9% in a week.
The latest jump in polysilicon price is expected to increase the price of monofacial PERC modules by 2.1%, equivalent to around US$0.005/W. This follows a year that has seen module prices increase by 25%, causing the delay or cancellation of solar projects.
Indeed, Bloomberg News, citing unidentified sources, reported yesterday (29 September) that China was weighing up whether to raise industrial power prices in order to ease the supply pressures.
China has recently sought to reduce its energy consumption but “the curbs more likely ignited a tinderbox of issues accumulating for months around soaring fuel prices and coal shortages, highlighting the difficulties in implementing energy policy in the context of a huge economy with numerous moving parts,” according to an analysis paper by S&P Global published yesterday (29 September).
Module prices have been on the rise since December last year due to a number of factors, including polysilicon supply shortages and soaring shipping costs. Experts expected the price of modules to come down in the new year.
