Copy from PV Link.com

Glass orders for October were confirmed earlier in the month. Meanwhile, although 3.2-mm coated glass is recently quoted at RMB 41–45/m2, such glass is difficult to procure and is running seriously short. The shortage of PV glass has slowed down module makers’ delivery schedules; some of them have reduced their utilization rates marginally.

While the price for PV glass surged in October, module prices—which underwent a flurry of hikes during July–September following the explosions at polysilicon labs—has recently remained stable because with the prices already settled for many of the previous orders, buyers can no longer accept any further price increases. However, the price hikes do manifest themselves in small orders for available modules and in urgent orders.

Looking ahead, next week will see a new round of price negotiations over PV glass. But since the glass is running short, its price may again increase next month, driving up module costs. Even so, module prices may not pick up because orders have been settled with a price of RMB 1.59–1.6/W. Module prices are variable in the spot market, where small and urgent orders have increased to over RMB 1.7/W.