According to EnergyTrend, the green energy research division of TrendForce, the demand in PV market remained sluggish. Outlook for September appears bleak, and the expected demand rebound may not occur. On the other hand, shrinking end-market subsidies has affected the return on investment (ROI) of solar systems. Manufacturers and makers have become less flexible when it comes to cost control and keeping ROI on a profitable level. Therefore, aside from the price adjustments of module, companies are now shifting their focus to cutting down the BOS (balance-of-system) price.

Given the fact that module prices have fallen to suppliers’ variable costs, prices will not see a further decline unless suppliers are willing to sell at a loss. As a result, suppliers started to urge BOS companies to accept higher prices. Furthermore, solar companies’ vertical integration has set foot into EPC and BOS sectors. Over the past few years major brand vendors have been striving to make inroads into the bidding project markets and have achieved certain level of success. Recently they have also invested in the mounting bracket market. According to EnergyTrend survey, due to intensifying competition, prices of solar inverter, mounting bracket and other EPC-related applications are starting to see fluctuations lately. Makers have provided more room for price negotiations in order to acquire market share. According to statistics, mounting bracket ASP dropped by 25%, while solar inverter ASP dipped 5%-10%.