Photovoltaic glass prices remain high, and the transparent backsheet industry welcomes development opportunities

Photovoltaic glass is an important component of photovoltaic modules, and its light transmittance will directly affect the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules. Affected by the tight supply of photovoltaic glass and rising prices, the cost of photovoltaic modules has increased, affecting the development of the photovoltaic industry. Facing the shortage of photovoltaic glass, the industry is trying to replace it with transparent backsheets, thus promoting the rapid development of the transparent backsheet industry.

Since 2015, the photovoltaic industry has begun to mass-produce bifacial cell modules. However, in practical applications, double-glass modules have problems such as high weight, high installation and transportation costs, and in the context of the rising price of photovoltaic glass in recent years, the industry is in urgent need of Find alternative products. Transparent backsheets have the advantages of low cost and light weight, and the technology has gradually matured and been applied in the market.

According to the “2021 Global and China Transparent Backsheet Industry In-depth Research Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, the photovoltaic industry is developing rapidly. , and against the background of high photovoltaic glass prices, the market demand for transparent backsheets continues to rise. In 2019, global transparent backsheet module shipments were approximately 2.6GW and reached 7.3GW in 2020. With the growth of transparent backplane production capacity, improvement of product quality, and cost reduction, global shipments of transparent backplane components are expected to reach 13.8GW in 2021.

Although the development prospects of the transparent backsheet industry are good, there are still many restrictions. For example, due to the high cost of raw materials and the small production scale due to technical limitations, the selling price of transparent backsheets is relatively high, about 20 yuan/square meter; In addition, due to the late start of the transparent backsheet industry, the products have not yet been verified outdoors for a long time, so promotion is difficult. Overall, the transparent backsheet industry still has a lot of room for cost reduction. As costs decrease in the future, cost-effective transparent backsheets may be widely promoted in the market.

There are currently more than 55 companies that can produce transparent backplane components. Companies currently in the domestic market include GCL Integrated, JinkoSolar, Tarsun Solar, Risen Energy, Henkel, Swick, Convenwe, De Bang Technology, JA Solar, Jolywood, etc. There are also many transparent backsheet manufacturers in Taiwan, such as Yuanjing Solar, URE Solar, etc., and their products are mainly exported to the United States. As far as the development of the transparent backplane industry is concerned, cost reduction will be the main trend in the future, followed by the development towards large sizes. Currently, both Jinko and GCL are producing large-size transparent backplane components and have been recognized by the market.

Industry analysts said that under the background of the popularity of dual-glass modules and the rising price of photovoltaic glass, transparent backsheets have become the mainstay of photovoltaic The application demand for glass substitute products continues to rise, and the industry has developed rapidly. Limited by production technology and industrial scale, the current transparent backplane market is relatively small. However, as the cost performance of transparent backplane products improves, its shipments may show rapid growth. As the transparent backsheet industry has good development prospects and attracts many companies, the current market concentration is low, and there are development opportunities for new entrants.