pricing

LONGi Solar has dropped its wafer prices by as much as 9.75%, its first such fall in more than a year, as signs continue to mount that industry prices are set to normalise into next year.

In this exclusive video from PV Tech publisher Solar Media’s Solar & Storage Finance USA event last month, a panel of supply chain experts discuss immediate challenges and potential remedies to the situation.

More than half of utility-scale solar projects planned for next year could be at risk of delay or cancellation as a result of surging materials and logistics cost, new analysis has claimed.

Recent solar wafer and cell price increases from both LONGi Solar and Tongwei, which have seen prices rise by between 5.6 – 7.7%, have underscored heightened volatility in the solar supply chain.

China Silicon Industry, the country’s trade association for the nonferrous metals industry, has warned that pricing for polysilicon chips has soared 13.2% to highs of RMB273/kg (US$42.42/kg), placing further pricing pressure on the solar industry.

The new edition of PV Tech Power is now available to download, including comprehensive coverage of supply chain issues disrupting the solar sector, learnings from our bankability ratings and much more.

LONGi Solar recorded a 21% leap in net profit in the first half of the year despite what it described as a “moderate” adjustment to capacity utilisation rates in the wake of market demand.

LONGi has increased its wafer prices for the first time in nearly two months with the industry braced for continued high prices throughout the rest of the year.

Amidst surging materials costs, the solar industry needs to avoid any “gaming” on price between upstream and downstream sectors as it could be “very dangerous for both sides”. Leo Xiang, general manager at Jiang Tai Insurance Brokers’ energy department, speaks to PV Tech about the potential remedies to the situation.