The solar polysilicon sector is experiencing a changing of the guard, and all four of the top manufacturers will be Chinese next year, research firm Bernreuter Research has predicted.
According to Johannes Bernreuter, head of Bernreuter Research the supply of polysilicon for the PV industry will continue to be constrained in 2021, while significant overcapacity is looming in 2022 and possibly intensify in 2023.
According to market research firm, Bernreuter Research, global solar installations are expected to be in the range of 95GW to 97GW in 2017, while Polysilicon supply was more than adequate to meet around 100GW of end market demand.
According to Bernreuter Research, polysilicon consumption for the production of solar wafers is set to impact the supply-side as the PV industry adopts diamond wire technologies that significantly lower kerf loss.
Since Wacker Chemie opened its new 20,000MT polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee in 2016, there was a good chance that the German-headquartered chemicals firm could overtake incumbent market leader, GCL-Poly.
According to polysilicon market specialist, Bernreuter Research recent polysilicon import levels into China surged between October and November 2016, while ASP’s also recovered, a trend seen the year before and ahead of China installing a record 22GW of solar in the first half of 2016.
Specialist polysilicon market research firm, Bernreuter Research has warned of continued overcapacity that will force pricing down below many producers' cash cost levels and threatens the existence of high-cost producers in 2018.
Leading polysilicon and solar wafer producer GCL-Poly Energy Holding said that the US bankruptcy court dealing with renewable energy firm SunEdison’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy has approved the sale of its electronic grade granular polysilicon produced with FBR (Fluidised Bed Reactor) technology assets, primarily held by Korean-based production plant SMP.
