Solar cell makers gear up for price rise

TAIPEI, THAILAND: Solar cell manufacturers based in Taiwan are set to push up prices. It may be recalled that during the last week of May this year, the spot price of solar cells produced by Taiwan-based makers had increased by 1.5 per cent to US$1.37 per Watt.

However, it was also seen that in the first three weeks of May, solar cell prices slipped modestly.

In such a situation it was being speculated that the prices would remain stable or decline in June thanks to the pending subsidy cuts by the German government.

The solar module makers have, however, been caught unawares by the sudden price hike and demands to increase quotes next month. DigiTimes, in a report said that solar cell maker Gintech Energy is gearing up for price rise and attributes it to the cell makers who are taking advantage of module makers and system installers that are rushing to beat Germany's feed-in-tariff slash on July 1.

Industry sources, in the meanwhile, say that the solar cell prices will not rise beyond the first two weeks of June. This could be because cells to be used in pre-July solar systems must be shipped out by mid-June.