Module price surge wrongfoots Chinese solar firms

Solar module prices up 28pc this year on the back of soaring feedstock costs, conference delegates say

A surge in solar module prices in China this year caught domestic manufacturers by surprise, and there is uncertainty over whether costs will fall next year, industry executives said at a conference this week. Spot prices for modules—multiple units of which make up solar panels—have jumped by 28pc this year on the back of higher feedstock costs. The cost of polysilicon, an ultra-refined form of silicon that is a key ingredient in most modules, has quadrupled while there has been cost inflation for other inputs such as steel, aluminium, copper, silver and glass. “We did not expect that module prices would exceed RMB2/W ($0.314/W). That is big pressure for end-users,” said Gao Jifan, chairman