Quartz crucible is a key consumable for photovoltaic production
Quartz crucible is a key component of photovoltaic polycrystalline silicon ingot furnace, and is a consumable vessel for drawing large diameter single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon. Quartz products are widely used in the solar photovoltaic industry. Crucibles are a container used in the photovoltaic industry to hold molten silicon and make silicon ingots for subsequent processes. The working temperature is above 1500 ° C. A crucible may be consumed, which is a consumable item. Quartz crucibles can be divided into single crystal crucibles and polycrystalline crucibles according to the crystals they are drawn. In addition, quartz diffusion furnace tubes, flanges and other process consumables are also widely used in the photovoltaic industry.
Continued growth of photovoltaic installations at home and abroad drives quartz demand, fierce competition and low profit level
The global photovoltaic market continues to grow, and the European Photovoltaic Association expects a compound growth rate of 8% in 19-21. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, as of the end of 2017, the cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity worldwide reached 402.5GW. The main new demand comes from China, the United States, Japan and India, and the European market demand is stable. In terms of global demand, despite the EU ’s lifting of the anti-dumping and anti-reverse policy, the current demand in the European market is not enough to offset the sluggish market in the US and Japan, and the demand fluctuations caused by the policy in the Indian market. The European Photovoltaic Association estimates that the global new installed capacity in 2021 will be 134GW, which translates into a compound growth rate of 8% in 18-21.
In 2017, China ’s new installed capacity accounted for 46% of the world ’s total, and the “531” photovoltaic new policy caused a setback in demand. From 2010 to 2017, the demand of China's photovoltaic industry increased rapidly. The cumulative installed capacity of China's photovoltaic power generation increased from 0.86GW in 2010 to 130GW in 2017. The compound annual growth rate of the domestic new installed power market in China from 13-17 reached 50%. The "2017-2020 New Construction Plan for Photovoltaic Power Stations" plans to install domestic PV installations of 49, 51, and 52GW in 18-20 years; and the domestic "531" new photovoltaic policy in China has caused domestic PV demand to be frustrated. The annual strategy predicts that the installed capacity in 18-20 years will be lower than this plan.
According to industry surveys, the size of global photovoltaic quartz products in 2017 is about 4-5 billion yuan, which is mainly based on domestic supply. At present, the threshold for the production technology of photovoltaic quartz is relatively low, and there is fierce competition among market companies and less profit margins. Most of the low-end markets are domestic monopolies. Some companies have begun to transform. Quartz companies that have cut into semiconductors, optical communications, and aerospace are gradually spinning off their photovoltaic quartz business. Considering the slowdown of global and domestic photovoltaic installations and the increasingly fierce competition in the crucible market, we expect the market size of quartz crucibles to be basically the same as 2017.