As many Taiwan-based crystalline silicon solar cell makers have increasingly shifted production from polycrystalline models to monocrystalline ones for higher gross margins, increased global supply plus decreased demand may drive prices for monocrystalline silicon solar cells to decline in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to Taiwan-based makers.
Viewing that prices for polycrystalline silicon solar cells have kept falling since the US government imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs at an average rate of 24.23% on Taiwan-made solar cells in late July, many Taiwan-based solar cell makers have adjusted production to decrease output of polycrystalline solar cells and increase that of monocrystalline models, the sources said. Currently, prices for P-type monocrystalline solar cells with energy conversion rates of about 19% stand at US$0.44-0.46/W which lead to gross margins of 4-7%, the sources indicated.
While demand for monocrystalline solar cells comes mainly from Europe and Japan, but installation of rooftop PV systems in these regions will be hindered on snowy days and therefore demand will decrease during the fourth quarter of 2014 and early first-quarter 2015, the sources explained.
