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Glass Shortage in China Harms Solar Energy Industry
The shortage of glass for solar panel production, which is already harming solar panel production in China, is expected to persist until the first half of this year. Driven by the increasing preference for bifacial modules – which generate energy from both sides of the panel – and larger panels, demand is outpacing production capacity additions, they say. An installation rush in the last quarter of the year worsened the deficit.
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“In the short term, we can’t do anything. We just accept the high price of solar glass … Now the shortage has eased, but that’s because module manufacturers adjusted their capacities, delayed sales, and reduced revenues.”
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Bifacial Panels
The demand for glass in China has also increased in the solar energy industry due to the growing prominence of bifacial panels, which are covered on both the top and bottom with glass, allowing for a slight increase in energy generation from sunlight reflected off the ground.
These solar panels are expected to represent half of the market in 2022, compared to about 14% last year, according to analysts from Sunwah Kingsway of China.
Solar glass manufacturers in China have surged this year, with Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd. more than doubling and Flat Glass Group Co. nearly quadrupling in market value in Hong Kong. Stocks plummeted on Wednesday amid speculation that capacity controls could be lifted and a Democratic victory in the U.S. elections did not materialize.
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