Blended prices have hit $21.60 per kilogram and are expected to keep rising.
Blended polysilicon pricing grew 8 percent quarter-over-quarter, increasing from $20 per kilogram in the final quarter of 2013 to an estimated $21.60 per kilogram in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest PV Pulse. This surpasses the comparatively incremental price increase of 4 percent seen from the third to the fourth quarter of 2013.
Accelerated polysilicon price growth in Q1 2014 was largely due to inventory restocking and low production levels during the Chinese New Year.
Source: GTM Research PV Pulse, Q2 2014
"As is the case with the solar supply chain at large, supply-demand balance in the polysilicon market has tightened up considerably over the last year, with robust demand growth coming into contact with a significantly more consolidated supplier landscape," said lead upstream solar analyst Shyam Mehta....MORE