Premium

Solar’s upstream and downstream must avoid ‘gaming’ on price as supply chain bottlenecks bite

By PV Tech
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Leo Xiang, general manager at Jiang Tai Insurance Brokers’ energy department, speaking to PV Tech.

Amidst surging materials costs, the solar industry needs to avoid any “gaming” on price between upstream and downstream sectors as it could be “very dangerous for both sides”.

That was the view of Leo Xiang, general manager at Jiang Tai Insurance Brokers’ energy department, who spoke to PV Tech Premium about the need for the industry coordination and integration – agreeing with sentiments expressed at SNEC 2021 from various manufacturers – to find a way past the current supply chain bottlenecks.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Xiang also revealed how several companies he spoke to at the exhibition noted that utilisation rates had fallen given amidst price increases – a negative consequence given forecasted end market demand – and urged manufacturers to check their insurance terms to protect against any sizeable losses.

10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

April 17, 2025
ES Foundry has signed a 150MW cell supply deal with what it calls a “leading national community solar developer” in the US.
April 14, 2025
Bert Thin Films has used a copper paste on a tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) M10 solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 24%.
April 10, 2025
India has added 11.6GW and 25.3GW of annual nameplate capacity in 2024 for solar cells and PV modules, respectively.
April 8, 2025
US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has denied Maxeon’s protests made against its detention of the company’s modules brought into the US.
April 2, 2025
India has nearly trebled its annual nameplate for solar cells from 9GW to 25GW between March 2024 and March 2025, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Premium
April 2, 2025
PV Talk: “Our best chance of establishing a viable solar industry is in partnership with China,” Brett Hallam tells PV Tech Premium.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
April 23, 2025
Fortaleza, Brazil
Solar Media Events
April 29, 2025
Dallas, Texas
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
May 7, 2025
Munich, Germany
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA