Featured in Powering AI – 03-2026

The factors shaping Chinese module prices

Silver price volatility, the return of export value-added tax (VAT) and an abandoned plan to reduce polysilicon manufacturing capacity could all influence PV module prices in 2026. Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai on the evolving market conditions facing solar module makers in China.

By

Vincent Shaw

02 Mar 2026

A plan to consolidate polysilicon manufacturing capacity in China stalled in late 2025, with implications for the global market and module pricing. | Image: MEI Wet Processing

China’s PV module market looked like a clearance aisle in 2024 and 2025. Module prices hit a band below-cost price with historic lows of $0.07/W to $0.09/W, according to Wood Mackenzie. Manufacturers shipped anyway because idling lines would have meant faster writedowns and a race to insolvency for weaker players. The policy mood shifted in …

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