The latest PV market analysis from EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce, finds that the average global spot price of polysilicon has surged by 20% between the end of July and the middle of August. The polysilicon supply has tightened up suddenly because the leading supplier in China had to do an emergency repair at one of its factories. This added to the pressure on the supply caused by annual plant maintenance works carried out by other suppliers.
LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global average sales prices (ASP) of LED light bulbs fell in July compared with the prior month. The global ASP of 40-watt equivalent products dropped by 0.9% to US$6.5, while the global ASP of 60-watt equivalent products dropped by 2.8% to US$7.8.
The U.S. has further lowered the antidumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) rates imposed on Chinese and Taiwanese solar imports in 2012 and 2014, according official statements on the recent AD/CVD reviews conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Many PV cells and module manufacturers have managed to evade U.S. trade barriers by setting up factories in third-party countries, majority of them in Southeast Asia. However, TrendForce’s green energy division EnergyTrend believes that the reduction of AD/CVD rates will have an impact on the global market this third quarter.
The global market for lithium batteries witnessed an average price increase of 15% to 25% for battery cells in the first half of 2017 compared with the second half of 2016, according to EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce. This rise was mainly attributed to the cobalt price hitting a five-year high. Going into the second half of 2017, the price upswing in the cobalt market is expected to start leveling off. On the other hand, seasonal demand during the same period will drive market for batteries used in x-electric vehicles (or xEV, which include plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles). EnergyTrend projects that battery cell prices on average will increase by about 10% this third quarter compared with the previous quarter and will continue to be on a gradual uptrend through the fourth quarter.
Prices of LED light bulbs crept up slightly this June with the global ASP of 40-watt equivalent products rising by 1.1% compared with the prior month to US$6.6, according to the latest report from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. The global ASP of 60-watt equivalent LED light bulbs remained constant at US$8.1.