Photovoltaic glass "refuses" to open for expansion!

photovoltaic glass "refuses" to open for expansion!

If it is said that which part of the photovoltaic industry chain is currently the most tense in supply, the answer must be the shortage and price increase of solar glass manufacturer material, EVA, and backplane, which can be quickly solved by expanding production, and the cycle is relatively short, but the shortage of glass is almost Inexplicable. On the one hand, due to policy restrictions such as the "Implementation Measures for Capacity Replacement in the Cement and solar glass manufacturer Industry", relevant enterprises cannot expand production on a large scale, and can only carry out limited capacity replacement; About a year and a half, as the so-called "distant water is difficult to quench thirst near."

Since the third quarter of this year, related companies and media have been calling for the relaxation of solar glass manufacturer production expansion restrictions, but from the results of the communication between Sobey Photovoltaic Network and related companies, what they most hope to see is not a simple announcement, allowing solar glass manufacturer products to be free The expansion of production means the orderly liberalization of the management and control of technical and innovative products. At the same time, component products must be standardized as soon as possible to reduce solar glass manufacturer size requirements. "Conditions allow a few technologically advanced companies to expand production of their advantageous products, unify module sizes, and avoid too concentrated downstream demand time. Only in this way can the problem of shortage of photovoltaic solar glass manufacturer be fundamentally solved." A glass solar panels company responsible person said.

Price Trend of Photovoltaic glass solar panels

According to PV Infolink statistics, the average price of 3.2mm glass solar panels last week was 42 yuan/㎡, the highest price was 48 yuan/㎡, and the average price of 2.0mm glass solar panels also reached 34 yuan/㎡. According to the information of Sobey Photovoltaic Network, some glass solar panels companies offer more than 50 yuan/m2 to second- and third-tier module companies, and the transaction price of 42 yuan/m2 only exists between large glass solar panels companies and first-line module companies with long-term and stable cooperation. It is very likely that it will continue to rise in the future.

Why can the price of photovoltaic glass solar panels be "willful"? Is the production cost controllable? After communicating with relevant companies, the author learned that the production cost of glass solar panels mainly includes two parts: raw materials and fuel. Among them, the core of the raw materials are quartz sand and soda ash, and the fuel is mostly natural gas. "Many transparent solar cells companies put the original production in Anhui, mainly because there are large-scale quartz sand mines in the area, which can meet the production needs." The transparent solar cells company technician said.

According to reports, the original sheet is only the first step in the production of photovoltaic transparent solar cells. In order to obtain photovoltaic transparent solar cells that can be used by modules, it is necessary to go through filming, edging, drilling, cleaning, drying, coating, glazing, tempering, unloading, and packaging. Wait for more than a dozen processes, and several inspection steps in the middle. "The rise in transparent solar cells prices before was due to the imbalance between market supply and demand on the one hand, and the prices of soda ash and natural gas on the other hand." The person in charge of the above-mentioned transparent solar cells company pointed out that after a wave of increases in the third quarter, the price of soda ash has stabilized recently, but in winter The price of natural gas has risen, and some regions have restricted the production of transparent solar cells companies in order to meet environmental protection requirements, which will aggravate the shortage of supply in the market and push up the price of transparent solar cells.

In the eyes of many people in the industry, the continued rise in transparent solar cells prices is no longer in line with the law of value. Unlike silicon materials, even if the price of photovoltaic glass increases, it cannot increase the market supply. Instead, it will force module companies to reduce production and affect the overall development of the industry. Wang Bohua, vice chairman and secretary-general of China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said that it is expected that the newly installed capacity will be 35-45GW in 2020, and it is likely to fall in the range of 35-40GW, which is lower than before. One of the reasons is the recent supply chain price. rise.

According to public reports in the media, the heads of many power station investment companies frequently "visit" photovoltaic companies, mainly to ensure the supply of components, and some companies have been forced to suspend the connection of some bidding projects to the grid. The author believes that the price increase of modules caused by the price increase of glass has exceeded 0.1 yuan/W, and the behavior of module companies "losing money and making a profit" cannot last for a long time, and will definitely find other ways to solve the problem. Therefore, the space for glass prices to continue to rise is very limited, but the supply for the whole year of next year is still in a state of tension, and it is likely to maintain a high price.

The huge gap in photovoltaic glass

According to the data provided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by the end of September 2020, there were a total of 114 ultra-clear rolled glass melting furnaces and 245 production lines in the country, with a production capacity of 32,580 tons/day, of which 48 melting furnaces and 164 production lines were in production, with a production capacity of 28,320 tons/day. , the capacity utilization rate is 87%. my country's photovoltaic glass production capacity accounts for about 90% of the global production capacity, and has become the world's largest photovoltaic glass producer and exporter. At present, the domestic photovoltaic glass production capacity is 24,750 tons/day under construction and planned, of which 10,600 tons/day is ready for ignition and production, mainly in Anhui and Guangxi.