China

The latest figures from Taiwanese analytics firm PVInsights shows that prices for monocrystalline solar PV products have fallen sharply in a week-on-week comparison. The price drops for wafers were particularly strong.

The predicted fall in global PV module prices appears to have already begun, with PV Insights and EnergyTrend reporting average prices in the $0.27-$0.37 cent per watt range.

The new round of IT-related tariffs would make it more expensive for any manufacturers planning to import cells from China for module production in the United States.

The analytics firm is the latest to predict a decline in global PV demand this year and crushed global module prices due to Chinese policy changes. TrendForce also finds that the protectionist moves taken by the U.S. will be weakened by falling module prices.

In this op-ed for pv magazine, Tony Clifford looks at the upside of recent Chinese policy decisions for the U.S. market.

A flood of cheap solar panels is likely to partially offset the effect of the Section 201 duties. It may also mean the revival of projects with marginal economics and could lead to module supply contracts being renegotiated.

The organization is expecting carnage throughout the solar value chain as the result of reduced policy support for deployment in China.

Trade has become a major issue for the U.S. solar industry under the Trump Administration. But while the market navigates tariffs and higher prices, the U.S. economy may be a greater casualty.

Tesla’s batteries may soon be Made in China. The announcement was made by Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga during a conference accompanying the company’s 2018 fiscal-year results.

The company’s latest Global Solar Demand Monitor forecasts 6% annual increase in PV installation growth, with the United States seeing relatively flat growth at 10.6 GW.