Taiwan-based polycrystalline silicon solar cell makers, due to increasing price competition from China-based makers, plan to increase or step into production of monocrystalline models, which are relatively profitable, according to PV industry sources in Taiwan.
Since the US imposed preliminary anti-subsidization tariffs on PV products from China in early June, China-based module makers who export to the US market have drastically decreased orders released to Taiwan-based solar cell suppliers and asked them to cut prices, the sources said. Taiwan-based makers' quotes for polycrystalline solar cells have dropped from US$0.40/W in early June to US$0.37-0.39/W currently, the sources indicated.
Taiwan-based makers are less competitive in terms of production cost for polycrystalline solar cells than China-based fellow makers, but still have technological advantage in monocrystalline solar cell, the sources said.
Among Taiwan-based solar cell makers, Neo Solar Power has an annual production capacity of 1,000MWp for monocrystalline models, while Motech Industries, Gintech Energy and Sunrise Global Solar Energy plan to expand such capacities to 650MWp, 300MWp and 700MWp respectively by the end of 2014, the sources noted.
