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Chinese Solar Makers' Losses Deepen as Industry Vows To End Price War (nikkei.com)

(Monday August 25, 2025 @11:28AM (msmash) from the closer-look dept.)


Years of aggressive capacity expansion have [1]driven China's solar manufacturing sector into deep losses . Panel prices have hit their lowest levels since 2011 even as the country's installations more than doubled. Shanghai-listed Tongwei reported a 4.96 billion yuan ($693 million) net loss for the first half of 2025, widening from 3.13 billion yuan a year earlier, while Trina Solar swung to a 2.92 billion yuan loss from a prior-year profit.

Panel prices touched 8.7 cents per watt in July, forcing manufacturers to write down inventory values across the polysilicon-to-module supply chain. China installed 212.2 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity through June, bringing total installations to 1.1 terawatts, yet supply continues outpacing demand after seven major manufacturers posted their first combined annual loss in 2024. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology convened leading producers last week to urge shutdowns of outdated capacity, while the China Photovoltaic Industry Association pledged to tackle what it termed "involution-style" competition through strengthened self-discipline measures.



[1] https://asia.nikkei.com/business/energy/chinese-solar-makers-losses-deepen-as-industry-vows-to-end-price-war



212.2 Gigawatts? (Score:2)

by TWX ( 665546 )

GREAT SCOTT!

I Call Bullshit! (Score:2)

by SlashbotAgent ( 6477336 )

> Panel prices touched 8.7 cents per watt in July

Where can I get these panel prices? Looking a Trina panels right now and I see them for $1, $0.50, and even a clearance sale for $0.34/watt. I'm not sure I can actually get the cheap ones or how many I can get, but even at a cheap $0.34/watt they are still almost 4 times higher than these 8.7 cent claims. And realistically, they'll be more than 5 times higher in price.

And make no mistake, relatively speaking 50 cents per watt is much cheaper than it has been in the not too distant past.

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Are you buying wholesale volume direct from the factory or from retail?

Re: (Score:2)

by SlashbotAgent ( 6477336 )

I'm buying retail, of course. But the prices I quoted are wholesale, per shipping container.

Re: (Score:2)

by ihadafivedigituid ( 8391795 )

Around 30 cents/watt qty. 4 here:

[1]https://ussolarsupplier.com/products/trina-vertex-s-400?variant=50214905545002&msclkid=601e4c08d7c81b13d10924a451ba4edb [ussolarsupplier.com]

[1] https://ussolarsupplier.com/products/trina-vertex-s-400?variant=50214905545002&msclkid=601e4c08d7c81b13d10924a451ba4edb

Re: (Score:2)

by Pinky's Brain ( 1158667 )

Just googled and from the first page I saw bifacial Ja Solar 445W Panels for 57 Euro from webshops aimed at consumers here (Netherlands). That's not the cheapest, but the fact that even bifacial can be bought so cheap amazed me.

The US market seems incredibly poorly developed.

Hope the prices stay low a bit longer... (Score:1)

by CoachS ( 324092 )

We're buying a new house next year and high on my list is to add solar if it doesn't already have a good solar system on it.

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