{"id":109568,"date":"2025-09-17T02:47:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T00:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=109568"},"modified":"2025-09-17T09:28:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T07:28:26","slug":"expert-view-china-signals-the-end-of-rock%e2%80%91bottom-solar-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/economy\/expert-view-china-signals-the-end-of-rock%e2%80%91bottom-solar-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert view: China signals the end of rock\u2011bottom solar prices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

China\u2019s solar industry has entered a new phase. After years of cut\u2011price competition and unchecked capacity expansion, the market now faces higher costs, explains Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\u201cThe
\u00a9 Margriet Fotografie \u201cThe period of relentless expansion and margin destruction is behind us,\u201d says Gerard Scheper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At a high-level meeting in early July, President Xi Jinping announced that the \u201cdisorderly price war\u201d must end and that outdated production capacity should be phased out. Days later, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called in the leaders of China\u2019s largest solar companies, including LONGi, Trina, Jinko, JA Solar and Sungrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roots of the crisis are clear. By the end of 2024, China\u2019s module capacity had exceeded 1,800 GW, while global demand stood at around 700 GW. Cheap capital and local incentives drove rapid factory expansion. As plant closures were politically undesirable, many firms continued producing at a loss. \u201cThe result was a price war where scale and survival mattered more than sustainable business,\u201d says Scheper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising raw material prices<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Self-regulation has failed. Attempts at price floors and production caps collapsed under conflicting interests. Now Beijing is turning to stronger tools: minimum price rules, restrictions on upstream supply, state-facilitated consolidation and deeper cuts to export tax rebates. \u201cIn the most extreme case, they could even be eliminated,\u201d notes Scheper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact is already visible. Raw material prices have risen more than 10 percent over the summer. Scheper expects further increases once policies are fully implemented. \u201cThat is ultimately healthy for the market. After years of falling prices and loss-making production, the industry needs space to recover. Companies must be able to heal their wounds and rebuild margins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunity for quality products<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Still, Scheper warns against premature optimism. Stability will depend on how far Beijing goes, whether the new rules are enforced, and how companies attempt to work around them. \u201cWhat is certain is that the period of relentless expansion and margin destruction is behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Europe, the implications are clear: the era of rock-bottom module prices is coming to an end. Project margins will come under pressure, but Scheper also sees opportunity. \u201cThis shift creates space for companies that focus on quality, reliability and long-term value rather than chasing the lowest price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The early signs of recovery are visible, thinks Scheper. \u201cThe challenge is to turn them into lasting stability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Source<\/h5>\r\n\n\n\n

PV Europe 2025 (Gerard Scheper\/hcn)<\/a><\/p>\n

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