Solar panel exchange EnergyBin has released its second annual PV module price index for its Solar Aftermarket Report, which tracks wholesale prices and shipments of crystalline silicon modules listed for resale on the EnergyBin exchange.
As a B2B solar equipment wholesale exchange with over 500 member companies, EnergyBin makes it easy to connect solar companies looking to buy and sell PV equipment. Although there were no transactions on the EnergyBin platform, the sales list shows more than 3.6 million modules (or 1.35 GW) installed on site between January 2020 and December 2022.
“The quantities listed for sale range from individual modules to batch sizes of over 15,000 units,” said EnergyBine CEO René Kühl. “There are several reasons why PV modules and other equipment enter the secondary market. Product streams range from salvage, surplus and miscellaneous disposables, asset liquidations from corporate acquisitions and bankruptcies, project scraps, modules from canceled or downsized projects, and used and refurbished modules. Most of the modules, 91%, are new, but the proportion of used modules has increased over the years, creating new opportunities for repair and resale.
Used or pre-owned modules make up 9% of EnergyBin's 2022 sales list, up from 4% in 2021. The largest group includes 90,000 units (or 27.5 MW). Used prices are 50-80% lower than new ones. The upward trend in supply shows that there are more and more decommissioning projects where standalone modules still have viable functionality. As the volume of decommissioned modules increases, repair, remarketing, and asset recovery opportunities will increase.
As for the new modules traded on the EnergyBin exchange, prices for all classes of c-Si modules (black, double-sided, high-efficiency, conventional, and low-cost) will rise in 2022. However, the percentage change from January 2020 to December 2022, the minimum varies between 0.2-4.2% for most modules. The exception is the all-black module, which increased by 17.9%. In addition, December's high efficiency and two-way prices are in line with European spot prices of $0.43/Wp.
The most important brand to be sold in 2021 is Sunergy after the company liquidated its plant in California.
The findings of the report, now in its second year of publication, highlight the importance of a strong and sustainable solar secondary market for minimizing waste and maximizing asset recovery. In addition, the market is helping solar power become an affordable energy source, especially when equipment can be purchased below the national average. On the EnergyBin exchange, for example, in 2022 all-black modules are $0.333/W, double-sided are $0.360/W, high-efficiency are $0.28/W, and conventional are $0.200/W.
“With the rapid growth of the global solar industry, the secondary market will also continue to grow,” Kewell said. “Growth opens up new opportunities. In the secondary market, we will see these opportunities in the areas of resale, reuse and repair, recycling and recycling, and value-added services that complement these business functions. All of them are important components of the circular economy. which is sustainable."
The full report can be found here.
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