Polysilicon 2012-2016: Supply, Demand & Implications for the Global PV Industry
1. Polysilicon 2012-2016:
Supply, Demand & Implications for the Global PV Industry
Webinar on February 9, 2012
Moderator: Speaker:
Carolyn Campbell Brett Prior
Research Associate Senior Analyst
campbell@gtmresearch.com prior@gtmresearch.com
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4. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Why should you care about the cost of polysilicon?
Because lower poly prices and higher module efficiency will shave ~$0.20/W off the cost of a c-Si module in 2012 alone
Numbers look too low?
Here are the 3Q11 results:
Forecasts included in the full report
• Trina
• $0.65/W non-silicon cost
• $0.37/W silicon cost
• $1.02/W total cost
• Best-in-class conversion
costs by step
• Wafer $0.17/W (GCL)
• Cell $0.17/W (LDK)
Forecasts included • Module $0.28/W (CSI)
in the full report • Non-Si $0.62/W
5. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Solar PV manufacturing 101
6. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Polysilicon manufacturing 101
7. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Polysilicon industry is concentrated, could be considered a
“balanced oligopoly”
• HHI is measure of
industry
concentration on a
scale of 0 to 10,000
(10,000 is a
monopoly)
• A market with an HHI
less than 1,000 is
regarded as
competitive
• Poly industry is ~640
8. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Even with 22 GW of c-Si PV installed in 2011, there still remains significant
oversupply at all stages of the value chain
9. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
China, the US, and Korea are the 3 largest producers of polysilicon
10. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Costs that vary by technology include energy (~13%), and depreciation &
interest (~48%)
11. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Energy use matters, and in this category FBR and UMG win
12. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
But Capex (which determines Depreciation & Interest) is much more important
than energy use, and on this metric Siemens HC and UMG “take the cake”
13. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Lower purity poly sells at a 10-30% discount to higher purity poly
14. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Excluding Depreciation & Interest, FBR is the cost leader
15. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
But, when depreciation & interest are included, Siemens HC is the lowest
cost option
16. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
And on the most important metric, profit, Siemens HC again takes the gold
17. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Historically, capacity has remained close to total demand
18. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
But in the last 4 years, capacity growth has outstripped demand growth, and
this imbalance may get worse before it gets better
19. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Profit margins are key to understanding where pricing is headed
20. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Spot prices are driven by cash costs, whereas contract prices have a
floor set by total costs
21. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Since 2009, cash costs for poly have been reduced from ~$40/kg to <$20/kg
Poly Cash Costs (excl depreciation, SG&A), 2009-present
$80
$70
Poly Cash Cost, excl depreciation ($/kg)
$60
$50
$40
ReneSola, $36
$30
$20 GCL, $18 LDK, $20
OCI, $18 Daqo, $18
$10 REC FBR, $13
$0
1Q09 2Q09 3Q09 4Q09 1Q10 2Q10 3Q10 4Q10 1Q11 2Q11 3Q11 4Q11 2012
23. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Poly ASPs collapsed in 4Q 2011, falling over 40% at REC
Poly ASP by Manufacturer, 2010-present
$80
$70
$60 REC, $57
Daqo, $52 42%
$50
Poly ASP ($/kg)
drop
GCL, $44 from 3Q
$40 to 4Q
REC, $35
$30
$20
$10
$0
1Q10 2Q10 3Q10 4Q10 1Q11 2Q11 3Q11 4Q11
24. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
EBITDA Margins have fallen from very attractive (50-70%) to toxic in just 4 quarters
EBITDA Margin by Poly Manufacturer, 2008-present
80%
OCI, 70%
70%
EBITDA Margin, % of revenue
60%
50% REC, 51%
40% Wacker, 39%
OCI, 34%
30% REC, 28%
20%
10%
0%
1Q08 3Q08 1Q09 3Q09 1Q10 3Q10 1Q11 3Q11
25. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Including the impact of depreciation, EBIT margins are now approaching 0%
EBIT Margin by Poly Manufacturer, 2008-present
60% OCI, 57%
50%
EBIT Margin, % of revenue
40%
REC, 34%
30% Daqo, 29%
20%
10%
OCI, 6%
REC, 4%
0%
1Q08 3Q08 1Q09 3Q09 1Q10 3Q10 1Q11 3Q11
26. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
What is next for the polysilicon industry?
• Where is pricing headed?
• When will the plant closures allow the supply/demand gap to
close?
• The feast is over - which companies are best positioned to survive
this period of famine?
27. 2. Comparison of Polysilicon Production
1. Polysilicon Overview 3. Polysilicon Supply and Demand 4. Polysilicon Economics
Technologies
Supply stack analysis can help to reveal the likely winners and losers, as well
as future pricing trends
Cost estimates for every operational poly
plant included in the full report