Solar PV costs continued to decline globally in 2021 as supply chain challenges and rising commodity prices have yet to show their full impact on project costs.
Solar polysilicon prices jumped by a further 4% this week, fuelling industry assessments that prices will soon jump above the RMB300/kg (US$44.74/kg) barrier.
A secure transition to net zero emissions globally will require countries to diversify and expand the production of solar modules, whose supply chains are heavily concentrated in China, according to new research from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
US authorities’ move to require documentation showing the source of quartzite in solar module imports should come as no surprise, experts have said, amid suggestions most companies will be able to overcome the latest hurdle that threatens to delay shipments.
The solar industry supply chain’s jitters continued this week after polysilicon prices hit another high, driving silicon wafer prices further upward too.
Despite US President Joe Biden’s AD/CVD intervention, US solar continues to face delays owing to a “bubble” of demand that has built up over the last year.
Manufacturers in a range of sectors should consider fattening their inventories as quickly as possible to mitigate a prolonged disruption to global supply chains, according to a report.
