News on demand

News on suppliers, market trends and technology innovations in polysilicon and wafer production is selected, assessed and written for you by Bernreuter Research.

Polysilicon price trend 2023 versus 2011

The crash of the polysilicon price was merely a matter of time

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After the crash below US$10 per kg, the global polysilicon price has not yet reached its bottom. This lies below US$7 per kg – the cash cost level of the last producer needed to satisfy demand.

Curves of the global polysilicon price average from January 2022 through the first week of January 2023 (dark blue) and from January 2021 through the first week of January 2022 (pink)

Polysilicon price slump accelerates, but will not last very long

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Since the last week of December 2022, the slump of the polysilicon price has accelerated drastically; however, there are good arguments that the price collapse will soon come to a halt.

Curve of the polysilicon spot price in 2021

First rays of light at the end of the polysilicon high-price tunnel

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After a massive price surge during 2021, signs are piling up that the polysilicon price is about to come down from its high level of US$36/kg. But a new price increase could follow in 2022.

New polysilicon production capacities (in metric tons) in 2022

New polysilicon entrants in China: Nothing learnt from the past

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The current polysilicon shortage has triggered so many new Chinese projects with a total capacity of more than one million tons that the industry will again face oversupply in the coming years.

Price changes in the solar value chain (polysilicon, wafer, cell, module) from January through May 2021

Has the polysilicon spot price rally reached its peak now?

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After the polysilicon spot price has skyrocketed by almost 160% from US$11/kg in early 2021 to $28.50/kg now, there are first signs that the price rally will slow down.

Price changes in the solar value chain (polysilicon, wafer, cell, module) in the first quarter of 2021

Why the spot price for polysilicon is going through the roof

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In the first quarter, the spot price for solar-grade polysilicon soared by nearly 50% – from US$11 to more than $16 per kg. Solar cell manufacturers played a key role in the price rally.

Wacker’s integrated chemical factory in Burghausen, Bavaria

Covid-19 impact hits polysilicon manufacturers Wacker and OCI

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Strongly reduced demand for solar-grade polysilicon due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lower prices have left their mark in the financial figures of Wacker and OCI for the second quarter.

Polysilicon production volumes of the Chinese top 4 manufacturers (Tongwei, GCL-Poly, Daqo, Xinte) in 2019

Do Chinese associations overstate domestic polysilicon output?

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The 2019 results of the four largest China-based polysilicon manufacturers – Tongwei, GCL-Poly, Daqo and Xinte – reveal enormous discrepancies with numbers published by Chinese industry bodies.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of Daqo, OCI, REC Silicon and Wacker from Q3 2018 through Q3 2019

Polysilicon producer Daqo breaks the cash cost barrier of $6/kg

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After weaker results in the second quarter due to maintenance, China-based polysilicon manufacturer Daqo New Energy achieved so far unthinkable cash production costs of US$5.85/kg in the third quarter.

Polysilicon EBITDA margins of OCI, REC Silicon and Wacker from Q3 2018 through Q3 2019

Non-Chinese polysilicon manufacturers return to negative EBITDA

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Polysilicon makers OCI, REC Silicon and Wacker all landed in red territory in the third quarter. Operating EBITDA margins ranged from -3.4% (OCI) to -9.3% (REC Silicon) to -13.3% (Wacker).