Krannich Solar: Strong sales - solar panel prices stable so far

04/27/2017 | Print view

Handling of pallets of solar modules at distributor Krannich Solar in Weil der Stadt/Germany. - © Hans-Christoph Neidlein — © Hans-Christoph Neidlein

Handling of pallets of solar modules at distributor Krannich Solar in Weil der Stadt/Germany.

"2017 has been the best year since 2012," says Kurt Krannich, CEO of Krannich Solar. Demand for solar modules and systems and storage is growing strongly, particularly in Germany. Solar panel prices have been stable so far despite the increased market demand, but all eyes are now on the trend from the early summer.

Krannich expects the German market to grow by 30 to 40 percent in 2017. The business in other European markets moved around the same level as last year, adds company spokeswoman Anita Hartmeyer. The market in the UK is still very weak. The Spanish solar market is still in the queue, the big move up there has not been here, except for a strong off-grid market. In Poland too, the big market boom is still waiting. The online business is doing well and has growing importance for Krannich. In Germany the share of online sales are around 30 percent.

Next milestone Intersolar Europe in Munich

The prices for solar modules have been quite stable since the beginning of the year despite the increased demand, says Hartmeyer. One should, however, be anxious, if the price level after the Intersolar Europe in Munich in June further develop. Last year, the prices slid sharply from the early summer onwards. From the Intersolar, the new high-performance modules from LG in the 350 and 360 Watt class are also expected to come on the market. Krannich has been selling LG modules since 2014 and is the most important distributor for LG Electronics in Europe. Recently, there were two awards from LG for the fastest sales growth of Krannich Solar Deutschland and the newcomer award for the performance of Krannich Solar Schweiz.

Standard solar modules still dominating

In addition to LG, Krannich is distributing solar modules from Axitec Energy, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, Luxor Solar and Panasonic. "Most modules are still sold over the price," says Krannich. Overall, standard poly modules in the 260 Watt class still dominate the sale. According to Hartmeyer, the modules of Axitech sell the most. All in all, however, efficiency is rising. If monocrystalline modules in the 280s and 290s watt class were still at the top of the line, the high-performance polycrystalline modules are back and the mono modules occupy the class of more than 300 watts. (hcn)